Community College Economic Workforce Development Programs and Financial Insecurity

The financial cost of economic workforce development programs for community colleges is becoming unsustainable. Economic workforce development programs are experiencing changing demands from the community, declining government support, debates over function and purpose, and escalating competition from for-profit higher education institutions. Three models are proposed to policymakers as a potential policy response to this issue: Differential tuition, reallocation of resources, or funding from grants development and each were judged using two evaluative criteria: efficiency and political acceptability. It is recommended that community college policymakers and stakeholders utilize differential tuition as a policy strategy for managing the high cost of economic workforce development programs. Nevertheless, it is recommended that state community college policymakers and directors conduct a thorough and research-based policy study before moving forward considering any of the three most policy strategies mentioned here. The context and situation for all 50 states is likely unique, making this an excellent topic for a 50 state national study.