We're Education...You're Semiconductors

Improving worker

skills through

employer-

community college

partnerships

We ’ r e e d u c a t i o n …
you’re semiconductors
David Gruber

A P U B L I C A T I O N O F P U B L I C / P R I V A T E V E N T U R E S

Working
Ventures

Improving worker

skills through

employer-

community college

partnerships

We ’ r e e d u c a t i o n …
you’re semiconductors

David Gruber

2 Working Ventures

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank a num-
ber of people who contributed gener-
ously of their time and patience to
help make this report possible. Holly
Moore, Brian Bosworth, Carol Clymer
and Brandon Roberts generously
shared their insights and national
experience in pointing the way to
effective collaborations. Don Schultz,
Cindy Geise, Regina Stanback-
Stroud, Ingrid Thompson and Wilfred
Saunders contributed valuable per-
spective on their individual partner-
ships and on the role of community
colleges in general, in offering educa-
tion and training services.

Gary Sivertson, Dave Yulans, C.
Johnson, Cindy Campbell and
Lawrence Gladstone took time from
their corporate and professional
responsibilities to describe how they
and their colleagues approached
development and operation of part-
nerships from a corporate perspec-
tive.

Julian Alssid contributed his exper-
tise, research and reporting skills,
broadening the scope and compre-
hensiveness of the work presented
here. Yet again, Natalie Jaffe’s sharply
honed editing skills helped to clarify
and refine the text. Sheila Maguire
and Mark Elliott played a critical role
in shaping the report throughout;
sharing their wide-ranging experi-
ence, questioning assumptions, and
offering sure-handed guidance and
direction.

I would also like to thank The Ford
Foundation and Charles Stewart Mott
Foundation for their support of
Working Ventures and this report.

We’re education…you’re semiconductors 3

A s Alan Greenspan recently testi-

fied, sustaining today’s growing

economy will require finding some

way to ensure that everyone—both current

and potential workers—gets the training they

need to keep pace with rapidly changing tech-

nology. While much national attention has

focused on ways to include those outside the

workforce in the economic boom, many of the

same issues apply to those on the inside. To

remain competitive in today’s economy, com-

panies need to adopt new technologies and

train current workers to use them.

4 Working Ventures

This, in turn, means that companies will choice for training, ranging from teaching a
need to devote greater resources to train- single computer program to consolidating
ing. Some of this training will be provided all the work tasks in a large factory.
by the company itself. Yet, in many cases—
where training is large-scale, complex, Of course, for all their success as training
technologically advanced or can simply be institutions, community colleges vary widely
completed more cheaply elsewhere—com- in their ability and interest in performing
panies will need to create an effective part- the role of corporate trainer. Many commu-
nership with an outside provider—a pri- nity colleges continue to view themselves
vate training organization, nonprofit or primarily as academic institutions—“junior
public institution. colleges” to prepare students for transfer to
four-year institutions. These colleges may
It is likely that many of these new training disdain the training role or perform it in
partnerships will be formed with communi- only a very limited way. Other institutions
ty colleges. Once largely offering prepara- have accepted or embraced a training role,
tion for four-year colleges, community col- but have yet to develop the capacity neces-
leges have increasingly become training sary to meet large, diverse or advanced
institutions in their own right—in fact, the training needs.
largest local delivery system for training in
the United States. Formerly academic cam- Yet, some community colleges have
puses have seen vocational enrollments emerged as “stars”—institutions with the
double in the last few years and contract capacity, resources, flexibility and interest to
training become a major revenue source. develop effective training partnerships with
New community colleges have been created business. As corporate spending for training
with the primary aim of serving industry. grows, we believe employers will need to
For some states, community and technical seek out these leading-edge institutions to
colleges, with their capacity for large-scale meet their own expanding training needs.
advanced training, have become economic
development tools to lure major employers. This paper is intended as a guide—for
employers, training providers and others—
Community colleges have also become a to developing effective partnerships with
major resource for employers seeking to leading-edge community colleges. It recog-
upgrade the skills of current workers. From nizes that corporations are large and grow-
small manufacturers like Sequins ing training consumers, with the potential,
International in Queens, New York, to indus- at least, to shape the way community col-
try leaders like Boeing, Intel and Daimler- leges respond to their needs. It also recog-
Chrysler, community colleges are seen by a nizes that planning, developing and operat-
number of employers as the provider of ing a training program involving two part-
ners is a difficult proposition, and that


seemingly simple training questions—who Daimler-Chrysler/Macomb
provides it, where it is delivered, how it is Community College
delivered, how much it costs—do not seem
A large-scale partnership, this training pro-
to have correspondingly simple answers.
gram for auto workers reflects continuing
modernization in the auto industry.
While there is, of course, no one model for
Working with both company and union rep-
building a successful partnership, this
resentatives, Macomb is providing extensive
paper highlights some of the best practices
retraining to the workers at Chrysler’s
in developing, planning and operating
Jefferson North Macomb County, Michigan
community college training partnerships by
Assembly plant, consolidating 23 traditional
reviewing the strategies employed by four
skills/trades classifications into eight.
effective training initiatives:
Training, begun in 1990, initially focused
on 350 workers, and has continued to serve
Sequins, new employees.
International/LaGuardia
Community College The Chrysler-Macomb partnership provides
a broad range of skills training at both
With the aim of improving the competitive-
basic and advanced levels in professional
ness of a relatively small manufacturer, this
areas including electrician, toolmaker, pipe-
partnership assists a Queens, New York
fitter, millwright, machine repair, mechan-
sequins manufacturer to implement a qual-
ic-gas and electric jitney, carpenter/painter
ity management program. Designed to
and energy center operator. Each of the
teach more efficient production techniques
professional areas encompasses seven class-
to all 250 employees, the ongoing Quality
es per trade. To fully ready workers for
Manufacturing program began in 1996.
meeting new employment classifications,
basic and advanced training includes 69
LaGuardia management training provides
individual courses ranging from math and
strategic assistance to Sequins workers in
computer drafting to advanced hydraulics,
areas including production planning and
computerized numerical control and main-
control, strategic decision-making, using a
frame computer network applications.
computer database, benchmarking, costing,
process control, team development, activity-
based accounting and ergonomic training. Intel/Mission College
Training has been delivered to workers over
This partnership provides postsecondary
the course of three years. In addition to the
training to Intel employees through an on-
technical assistance provided to Sequins
site college campus in Santa Clara, California.
workers, LaGuardia has also enrolled partic-
Recognizing that many employees hired
ipants in its extensive English as a Second
during the company’s early days now lack
Language (ESL) program.
the skills needed for a more competitive

6 Working Ventures

environment, the Adxpress program, which Drawing on the experience of these four
serves approximately 100 to 150 students at partnerships, this paper focuses on the key
any given time, is intended to lead to an issues and questions likely to be raised by
AA degree and other certification now employers in considering community col-
required for many Intel jobs. Designed to leges as training providers. These include:
provide all the skills needed for a degree,
the program begins with pre-enrollment • Economic rationale: Why choose com-
assessment in English and math and munity colleges over other training
includes English fundamentals and effec- providers?
tive writing, arithmetic functions, elemen- • Choosing the appropriate community
tary algebra, chemistry, macroeconomics, college.
technical writing, physics, and even courses
such as music. • Structuring the partnership.

• Developing and delivering curriculum.
The Intel program is also intended to ready
participants to move into training in the • Budget.
semi-conductor manufacturing program. • Assessment.
More advanced courses offered to Intel
This paper concludes with lessons learned
workers include digital principles, introduc-
from the four programs and recommenda-
tion to semiconductor manufacturing,
tions based on their experiences.
electromechanical systems, robotics and
statistical process control.

Boeing/Shoreline Community
College
This partnership to train Boeing workers in
the use of a specific manufacturing software
program operates in Seattle, Washington.
Emblematic of continuing advances in
manufacturing and expanding use of com-
puterized production techniques, Shoreline’s
Smart CAM training enrolls 250 workers in
on-site training. The Smart CAM courses,
less extensive than the others profiled,
include training and competency testing in
all aspects of using the program software
and understanding how it relates to the
manufacturing process.


Economic rationale:
Why invest in workers?

The choice of a community college as a standard of an AA degree (or higher), may
training provider has its roots in a compa- lack both the academic credentials and
ny’s larger decision to pursue additional needed English, math, communications,
training and education for its current work- SCANS and management skills to function
force. When asked why they made this deci- effectively in a changed environment. To
sion to invest, staff from each of the compa- maintain its competitiveness, the company
nies interviewed spoke of the economy and sees the need to provide both basic and
its recent dramatic changes. applied education for these workers, and to
encourage the active pursuit of an AA
Underlying the establishment of each of degree for anyone who does not have one
the partnerships we looked at is some com- in designated job levels.
bination of higher levels of competition,
rapidly advancing technology and a tighter For Chrysler, technological change required
labor market—conditions that translate an ambitious makeover of an entire factory
into a need for more training at reasonable model—from “low-tech to high-tech,” as one
cost. This goal, in one form or another, is involved staffer put it. One outcome of the
at the center of each company’s training Modern Operating Agreement (MOA)
program and in its choice of a community between the UAW and Chrysler, was that
college as a training provider. Chrysler’s new Jefferson plant consolidated
23 traditional, highly defined classified job
Intel, a rapidly growing industry leader, has titles into eight—creating an immediate
seen the pace of technological change need to retrain a senior workforce with an
advance faster than the skills of its original average age of 54. In addition to transform-
workforce. As one company representative ing the jobs of every worker, the change
noted, in those early days, the company required many to learn new skills such as
would “hire anyone” regardless of degree or computers and PLC robotics.
educational level. A number of these early
hires, now in jobs that have a threshold

8 Working Ventures

For Boeing, another industry giant, training For these employers, with large-scale and
needs have also been driven by advancing intensive training requirements, community
technology, and the concomitant need to colleges have the potential to offer, in one
train workers to operate new computerized place, a broad range of existing or easily
machining equipment at a reasonable cost. adapted courses; access to a pool of faculty
As with most manufacturers, Boeing faces a expertise; academic credit for training; and a
continuing challenge to find cost-effective continuing educational resource for a com-
means to keep its workforce current with new pany and its employees—all attributes not
equipment and manufacturing techniques. readily duplicated by other providers. As the
experience of these companies makes clear,
The pressures of meeting the dual require- some community colleges are well-positioned
ments of high quality and low cost are, if to meet ambitious training needs: particularly
anything, more intense at small manufac- those that require comprehensive, long-term
turers such as Sequins, which confronts a or complex training services.
highly competitive environment without
the resources of a large or even mid-size For more narrow or limited training, howev-
corporate base. Sequins is competing with er, there is greater competition—from in-
Chinese and Indian firms that have much house providers, training firms and manufac-
lower labor costs. The firm needs to lower turers. For two companies profiled here,
costs and raise product quality to meet cus- however, community colleges are competitive
tomer expectations and remain viable. on services that other providers also offer.
These companies cite high flexibility and low
cost as reasons to use a community college
Why choose a community rather than a competitor organization.
college?
For each of these employers, the economic In general, five key reasons for choosing
factors described here led to a choice of a community colleges emerged from discus-
community college over other options sions with these companies:
ranging from training companies to propri-
etary schools to in-house training. How did
they come to a decision? For some of the
employers profiled here, there was no real
choice: training requirements were of a
scope or complexity that no other provider
could meet or meet easily.


Continuing Connection
1 As a stable and accessible presence
in the community, community colleges can
2 Scope and Capacity
Few other providers can match the
breadth of training offered at some com-
provide continuing educational and train- munity colleges. With an established pres-
ing benefits to workers. ence in the community, a ready pool of
instructional staff, dedicated funding and
Several employers cited this continuing the ability to offer scores of courses, com-
access to training, beyond the specific pro- munity colleges provide a level of capacity
ject studied, as an important consideration for large-scale or long-term training that is
in developing a partnership with communi- difficult for other providers to duplicate.
ty colleges. At a time when employers Chrysler, for example, with a mandate to
increasingly see the need for continual provide extensive retraining for 350 work-
upgrade training to keep pace with tech- ers over a period of several years (and con-
nology, creating personal connections for tinuing training for new workers), “never
employees with community colleges is natu- considered” other vendors. Charged with
rally viewed as an important outgrowth of a providing over 50 classes in eight separate
training relationship. For Intel, of course, consolidated work areas, Chrysler’s training
creating this connection is at the center of partner, Macomb Community College, has
the training mission. Other employers also been able to draw on related curriculum,
see fostering ongoing individual connec- assemble needed instructors and provide
tions to colleges as a key long-term benefit required class and lab space. Faced with
of a more limited training program. Of demands of this magnitude, community
course, part of this benefit derives from the colleges are, as one Chrysler staffer noted,
fact that community colleges, unlike private “the natural” training provider. Few organi-
providers, will always be there, “stable and zations can compete on this scale.
dependable,” as one Boeing staffer noted,
and thus accessible to employees who want While the other employers studied did not
to continue their training. reach the same scope in their training, they
too have drawn on the resources of com-
The sense of community colleges as an munity colleges to create large-scale long-
essential—and cost-effective—resource for term training. Intel’s on-site college cam-
employees beyond the immediate training pus, for example, required Mission
program is shared by most of the employ- Community College to provide instruction
ers. At Sequins, the CEO views LaGuardia and curriculum in seven subject areas at
Community College as a rich and underuti- Intel, while also offering access to a much
lized community educational opportunity broader range of advanced and applied
that could help his largely low-skilled, non- training at its nearby campus.
English speaking workers in a broad array
of areas from language skills to personal
development to improved technical skills.

10 Working Ventures

Academic Credit
3 Postsecondary institutions in gener-
al, and community colleges in particular,
5 Cost
For some kinds of training, com-
munity colleges can provide low-cost ser-
have a significant advantage over most vices. For two of the companies profiled,
other vendors in that they can offer a full cost has been the determining factor in
range of academic services—a degree choosing the community college over com-
and/or a wide spectrum of academically peting providers, where community college
certified programs and individual classes advantages of scale and capacity are not a
earning academic credit. Perhaps the most major factor. For Boeing, for example,
obvious reason to choose a community col- Shoreline Community College has been
lege is the kind of academic accreditation able to significantly undercut industry
that most vendors or in-house providers providers in offering its training on adapt-
cannot offer. For Intel, for example, an ing a specific piece of equipment. This
Associates degree has become a required advantage in cost over private providers is,
credential for many job titles. Intel’s goal in for Boeing, enhanced by the dependability
contracting with a community college is and stability of the community college.
essentially to establish a college on-site as a
way to provide basic skills training and cre- Similarly, LaGuardia has provided its quality
dentials to its employees. Boeing, too, sees management training at a large discount,
the potential provision of credit for training compared with the private management
as an additional reason to seek a communi- consulting firm used previously. Interestingly,
ty college as its primary training provider lower costs in both these cases do not result
(although Boeing students did not in fact directly from any public sector subsidies
receive credit for the training provided). (beyond those that provide the foundation for
public education) but are based on the pre-

4 Complementary Services
Community colleges provide a
range of services beyond the usual focus of
vailing fee structure at the community college.

Unlike the other factors, cost is not an
a training project, including counseling, inherent advantage of community college
evaluation and testing. For several employ- training, and may, in fact, be seen as an
ers, these ancillary services were an addi- issue when colleges are chosen for other
tional benefit of their college partnership, reasons. For Intel and Chrysler, for which
with counseling in particular seen as a the community colleges are the logical, if
means to help students adjust to training not the only provider, cost has been less of
and benefit from the educational opportu- a factor in selecting a training provider. For
nities available. Intel, in fact, community colleges are seen
as less competitive and less flexible in the
cost arena than are other providers. Intel
typically requires its contractors to reduce


costs from year to year. Due to state-fixed • Faculty and academic capacity;
charges for college credit, this has not been
• Flexibility in delivering training;
possible in the on-site college project—
much to Intel’s chagrin. The unique nature • Ability to deliver other needed services
of Mission’s services, however, precludes and supports;
any other provider. • Prior experience in the training area;

• Prior contacts; and
Choosing a community • Cost.
college provider
Once companies recognize that their train- Beyond the basics, specific process and
ing needs are best fulfilled by community selection requirements will naturally vary
colleges, how do they choose a specific col- across partnerships.
lege as the training provider?
Employers with extensive training needs
The companies studied pursued a variety of will develop an elaborate bid process.
means to link their training needs to a Chrysler, recognizing from the outset that
community college provider. Two of the it needed the scale of a community college
companies chose an RFP: a formal request to fulfill its complex and broad-ranging
for proposals that looked at factors like training requirements, put together an
logistics, pricing, facilities and services. The extended RFP/bid process that served as
others selected providers based on more the basis for discussion with three commu-
informal contacts or a prior relationship. In nity colleges. The Chrysler process began
all cases however, selection (and the ongo- with laying out the basics of the training
ing relationship) depended on a sometimes need—by far the largest and most compre-
extensive series of meetings at which the hensive of the partnerships studied. To
structure and fabric of the partnership retrain all the workers at its Jefferson plant,
were negotiated. For the larger partner- Chrysler required over 50 separate classes
ships, an established planning group across eight different professional fields
worked over a period of months to fully scheduled over a three-year period.
define the training program. Moreover, classes needed to be offered
within a relatively tight time schedule—
While there is no single model, the experi- 7:00a.m. to 3:00p.m.—requiring the college
ence of these employers suggests a basic list to have significant resources in terms of
of objectives to be considered in selecting a both available faculty and space.
particular community college:

12 Working Ventures

To familiarize the colleges with the compa- • Prior partnership history with Intel;
ny’s training needs, Chrysler union and
• Ability and willingness of the community
management representatives conducted
college to assume complete responsibili-
several meetings with each college. The
ty for administration, including enroll-
ultimate choice of Macomb was based on
ment, continuing operation and counsel-
logistics, pricing and facilities. Because of
ing; and
its pool of faculty and experience in offer-
ing similar courses, Macomb had the • Credit for classes offered.
broadest spectrum of training available—it The choice of Mission among the three
“could do all of it,” and at a reasonable community colleges that responded was
price. For Chrysler, however, selection of a based on these factors, its experience in
provider was only the first step in a process offering the “corporate college” model to
that was still in a very formative stage. As other employers and on a prior training
one college staff person noted, even after relationship. Unlike Chrysler, Mission
initial selection, Chrysler’s objectives were offered many, if not all the courses
still vague. For its part, Macomb, while it required by Intel. However, because the
had experience in the required fields, did program was to be offered on the Intel
not actually offer many of the needed campus and designed to meet the compa-
courses. The ultimate shape of the training ny’s specific needs, creating the partner-
program was forged over a six-month plan- ship was not simply a matter of adding new
ning period featuring frequent meetings sections of existing courses. As with
between Chrysler union and management Chrysler, an advisory council comprised of
representatives and Macomb staff. Intel and Mission staff continue to shape
the program model.
The same pattern of a formal RFP followed
by extensive negotiation characterized the Boeing’s requirements, for a much smaller
other large-scale partnership, Intel and program, reflected, if in miniature, the
Mission College. Intel’s RFP focused on basic elements of other training frame-
cost, capacity, flexibility and services. Intel works. Before finalizing its decision to work
specifically looked for: with Shoreline, Boeing asked for:

• Capacity to provide a pool of faculty that • Faculty who could assess needs and
could deliver literacy, math, science and develop and deliver the curriculum;
communication courses;
• Delivery adapted to Boeing time and
• Flexibility as to the time and place class- place needs;
es could be delivered;
• Connection to other Shoreline
• Services including counseling and courses; and
assessment;


• Credit for classes offered (ultimately not
granted for cost reasons—see below).

For Sequins, the partnership resulted from
a seminar sponsored by LaGuardia College
on quality management implementation in
small companies. Sequins management,
interested in introducing the training to
the company, agreed to contract with
LaGuardia as a training provider. At
Boeing, the process was similarly informal,
with Shoreline’s selection based primarily
on capacity and prior relationship.

One issue in choosing community colleges
is geography and designated “turf.” In some
cases, the most appropriate community col-
lege to meet the training need is not the
closest to the employer. Because many com-
munity colleges operate within designated
districts, crossing lines to seek another com-
munity college provider becomes some-
thing of a political concern. This is hardly
an insurmountable problem; companies are
generally free to work with any community
college they choose, and two of the partner-
ships profiled here were able to overcome
the geography issue. Nevertheless, this
could be a concern in some community col-
lege partnership decisions.

14 Working Ventures

Structuring the relationship:
roles and responsibilities

“We’re education…you’re semiconductors.” Regardless of size, however, while each part-
nership has handled these concerns some-
Selection of a provider, of course, is just what differently, all have pursued a similar
the first step in developing a training pro- organizational framework. This strategy
gram. As discussed earlier, much of the combines a clearly defined division of
critical early work in developing an effec- responsibilities between college and employ-
tive program lies in defining how the er, with a joint advisory group to govern the
employer and community college will allo- partnership and resolve difficult issues.
cate planning and implementing a com-
plex training program. Which partner is The basic operating principle for all the
responsible for program design? How do partnerships studied is probably best
partners divide responsibility for program expressed by a Mission College administra-
operation? How are issues that arise during tor describing how Mission and Intel have
the partnership resolved? divided their respective responsibilities:
“We’re education…you’re semiconductors.”
In some of the partnerships, this division of
responsibilities is complex, due largely to the While somewhat simplistic, this formula
scope of the effort. For Chrysler’s initial reflects the fundamental line of demarca-
wholesale factory retraining project, the part- tion underlying the partnerships. On one
ners had to plan and develop curricula cov- side of the line is the college faculty and
ering two levels of training, create 402 class staff charged with developing, designing
sections, establish guidelines, orient employ- and operating the educational program.
ees, find faculty, find space, monitor out- On the other is the employer, often in con-
comes and deal with inevitable conflicts. The sultation with union representatives,
Boeing partnership is much smaller, but still responsible for internal management and
has required Boeing and Shoreline to devel- review of plans and progress. Typically, this
op and operate a training program for 250 seemingly sharp divide is bridged by some
employees working on three different shifts.


form of joint advisory committee that Step 4:
reviews plans, formulates policy and Advisory committee provides implementa-
resolves issues. tion, continued oversight and recommends
any necessary modifications through an
In at least three of the partnerships studied, advisory committee.
it is this committee that has given shape to
the partnership through modifying the Across the partnerships, this pattern has
plans and procedures initially proposed by led to a similar division of roles and respon-
the community college, and infusing the sibilities:
training model with the culture and prac-
tice of the workplace. Committees have
included key employer and union represen- Employer role
tatives who devote considerable time to pro- • Develop training plan. Employers need
gram planning and continue to meet regu- to develop an internal consensus on the
larly throughout the period of operation. In objective, scope and direction of train-
the early stages particularly, this planning or ing. In some projects, this may require
advisory group has been the mechanism for involving management, supervisors and
program design and development. union representatives in a series of meet-
ings to develop agreements. In at least
one of the projects studied, manage-
Four key steps ment has noted that insufficient atten-
To structure and organize the training ini- tion was paid to this step prior to the
tiatives, most partnerships have followed a start of training.
four-step process:
• Set formal training objectives. Not sur-
prisingly, these partnerships had their
Step 1:
genesis in training needs evident to each
Employer lays out general training objec-
employer. In approaching community
tives, scope, outcomes and budget.
colleges, the first, and perhaps most
important, employer responsibility is to
Step 2:
define, at least in broad terms, the train-
Community college responds with a
ing required, and to set training objec-
model defining proposed classes, faculty
tives. In the partnerships studied, this
and logistics.
training outline included the kinds of
training needed; the number to be
Step 3:
trained, the location of training, the
Advisory committee negotiates and agrees
duration, outcomes and the ancillary
on the training model.
services required.

16 Working Ventures

One variant of this model, seen in the Operational decisions may also involve a
Sequins example, occurs when the col- cross-section of the company. Supervisors
lege offers a specific kind of training— and others may need to be involved in
such as quality management training— recommending recruits, in approving
and the employer responds, seeing a company training practices and
chance to meet a clear need. As with the monitoring outcomes. In some of the
other partnerships, however, the training partnerships studied, costs of participa-
program as delivered is modified as a tion are billed to supervisory budgets
result of a close collaboration between rather than to a central training account,
the college and employer. leading to continuing supervisor involve-
ment in training efforts.
• Set budget. Employers take final respon-
sibility for budgeting, of course, but • Review operations. Employers play a
approach this role differently. In two of continuing role in reviewing training
the partnerships studied, employers implementation, monitoring outcomes
began with a set budget figure, which and modifying program design. In both
provided a foundation for program the Chrysler and Intel partnerships,
design. In the two other partnerships, employer advisory committees have
the community college first proposed a reviewed individual class experiences,
budget, which was accepted by the resolving such issues as employee com-
employer. In most cases, as above, bud- plaints and problems with faculty.
geting is a continuing process.
Achieving these objectives requires a signifi-
• Review training model. One of the most
cant time commitment. Chrysler manage-
important employer roles is to provide
ment and union representatives, for exam-
continuing guidance to the community
ple, reported that they worked nearly full
college as the training design is devel-
time for a year to develop the training pro-
oped. Across the partnerships, employer
gram and have been on site nearly every
roles have included participation in
day. In all the partnerships, staff from both
areas like needs assessment, course selec-
employer and college agree that an exten-
tion, approval of proposed faculty, test-
sive time commitment, particularly during
ing needs, and logistics and scheduling.
the planning period, is necessary to make
• Recruit participants. Employers are the program work.
responsible for setting up a recruitment
mechanism, including developing stan-
dards and policies for program participa-
tion, selection and program outreach.
This effort includes establishing formal
guidelines as well as developing written
materials outlining program operations.


Community college role • Provide ancillary services. Some partner-
ships, like that between Intel and
• Develop training model. Based on the
Mission, call for services beyond class-
objectives laid out by the partner
room training, like counseling, testing
employer, community colleges have
and evaluation, and links to other col-
taken responsibility for developing or
lege courses and services. This kind of
modifying curriculum and presenting a
employer need requires colleges to
detailed class plan to employers. This
address issues of staffing, space and
can be a lengthy process and often
access beyond the core training model.
requires a good deal of interaction
between the college and the employer’s • Modify budget. Budgeting can be a con-
advisory committee. tinuing issue, particularly in long-term
partnerships. Often, as in two of the
• Select faculty pool. Based on articulated
partnerships studied, the initial budget
needs of the employer, community col-
proposed by employers serves as a guide-
leges select qualified faculty who can
line, which is modified during the plan-
also deliver courses at the time and place
ning process based on factors such as
chosen. In large partnerships, such as
fixed costs for courses, space and loca-
the Chrysler-Macomb program, which
tion needs, faculty availability, added
have required that colleges develop a
materials and costs. Budgets are also
number of new courses taught during a
renegotiated as training is extended.
limited time window, this has proved to
be a significant challenge. Matching fac- • Manage operations. In general, colleges
ulty to employer culture and needs also are responsible for day-to-day program
has proved to be an important, and at administration to assure that classes and
times difficult, part of this responsibility. other services run smoothly. Larger part-
nerships tend to appoint a coordinator,
• Define logistics. Based on the framework
full- or part-time, who can serve as a sin-
agreed to by the partners, community
gle point of contact with participants,
colleges are responsible for establishing
employer and college administration. In
and supporting a schedule of classes that
some of the partnerships studied, the
fit the needs of potential trainees. This,
coordinator is also responsible for moni-
too, can be a difficult task, particularly
toring attendance and performance and
when training is conducted at the com-
producing regular outcome information.
munity college. In a partnership such as
With partnerships such as Intel, though
that between Macomb and Chrysler, for
the coordinator is a college employee,
example, training segments for hundreds
the position is based on site at the
of workers have had to be scheduled for
employer and reports to a joint advisory
a seven-week period, with training deliv-
council comprised of both employer and
ered in the space of a designated seven-
college staff.
and-one-half-hour period each day.

18 Working Ventures

This interactive partnership model requires the college? Should it be classroom or indi-
an even greater commitment of time on vidualized? Should it be after hours or dur-
the part of the community college. College ing the work day?
staff in one of the larger partnerships
report that they spent nearly 100 percent of Clearly, the answers to these questions
their time on the planning portion of the depend on the particular context—the
program and 30 to 40 percent during employer’s and college’s needs, capacity
implementation. Larger partnerships may and resources. Yet the experience of these
also require separate day-to-day manage- very diverse training initiatives suggests that
ment. Two of the colleges, Mission and successful development and delivery of
Macomb, have hired coordinators to training depends primarily on the ability of
administer the program. At Mission, the community college providers to perform
coordinator serves as a full-time contact, four critical tasks:
manages scheduling, serves as a liaison
between participants, college and employ- • Draw on a strong foundation of existing
er, and collects data on program outcomes. curriculum and faculty expertise;
The Mission coordinator is a full-time posi- • Contextualize and relate curriculum
tion, while at Macomb a half-time coordina- directly to the company environment
tor is assigned to program operations. and needs;

• Deliver the curriculum at a time and
Curriculum and delivery place that best meet worker needs; and
Developing and delivering curriculum is at • Teach the curriculum in a way that fits
the heart of any training partnership, and company culture and accounts for
presents two critical challenges to training employee learning styles and skill levels.
providers. First, how can a partnership
translate the sometimes vague objectives Although these seem to be obvious thresh-
contained in an RFP to a concrete course olds, they are in practice sometimes difficult
or series of classes? Second, once devel- to meet. The experience of these partner-
oped, what is the best way to deliver the ships suggests that in some ways, community
curriculum so employees learn? colleges are among the training providers
best suited to the task. Comprehensive and
These larger tasks in return raise a number diverse, the best of these institutions com-
of practical concerns: To what degree bine the academic capacity required by
should training be customized? What is the more extensive training designs with the
respective role of college and employer? flexibility to deliver training customized to
Should training be delivered on-site or at company needs. Yet community colleges
also are institutions with their own tradi-
tions, style and culture. Meshing these with


the corporate environment—a base create the needed courses, through drawing
requirement of any successful training—is on faculty expertise and a related library of
often a struggle even for the most successful classes. In fact, the largest concern for
of partnerships. Macomb administrators involved in the pro-
ject has not been in curriculum develop-
ment but logistics—scheduling the faculty
Developing curriculum to deliver classes at the time required.

Building on a strong foundation Shoreline, too, was able to find an instruc-
In developing a curriculum, the first step is tor with the requisite expertise to develop
to look at the academic foundation already the Smart CAM training program. Like the
present—the existing college courses and other colleges, Shoreline has been able
the pool of faculty expertise. Each of these also to draw upon a strong foundation of
colleges was able to draw on current related training.
resources to adopt or develop the training
requested. This foundation is central to the For employers seeking college partners,
creation of an effective training program. this depth of expertise and prior experi-
ence should be viewed as a necessary pre-
All the courses requested by Intel for exam- requisite in provider selection.
ple—both general and technical—are part
of the Mission curriculum and offered on a
regular basis to other students. LaGuardia, Adapting curriculum design
too, has previously offered its management The experience of these partnerships sug-
curriculum to other employers and needed gests that effective training requires col-
only to adopt it for Sequins. leges to adapt pre-existing curriculum to
meet specific training requirements. Many
Where courses did not exist, community employers expect colleges to study their
college partners had the capacity to develop training needs and worker abilities and cre-
them. Macomb did not offer most of the ate customized training accordingly.
courses required by Chrysler, and needed to Colleges, too, recognize the need to ensure
design much of the 69-course curriculum that programs are fully responsive to the
“from the ground up.” It is striking, however, company’s training needs, and perhaps
that this task, requiring six months of inten- more importantly, that they use the compa-
sive planning and continuing curriculum ny’s business and product as an integral
development to complete the training part of the training offered.
design, was not seen as particularly taxing
by college administrators. Macomb had An important element in the success of the
access to a pool of faculty familiar with the training programs studied has been this
general subject matter and has been able to flexibility in curriculum design—the will-
ingness and ability of selected community

20 Working Ventures

colleges to adopt, refine and in some cases human resources has served as the in-house
create curriculum and course material that point person for the program and has
mirror the workplace. worked with the LaGuardia consultant and
the project advisory group to customize the
Each of the colleges has worked to create existing curriculum.
training that makes this kind of concrete
connection with work. Once the training- All the colleges studied view the task of tak-
award decision was made, colleges began the ing a standard curriculum and adopting it
process of developing a customized training to the specific needs of the companies as a
program. Typically, the first step was a fact- fundamental part of a successful training
finding process that included visits and program. As one Mission administrator
meetings with company staff and potential commented: “If there is any way you can
trainees to determine training needs. contextualize…do.”

Macomb, for example, sent instructors to Each of the partnerships followed this man-
the plant to observe tasks and interview date, looking for ways to bring business
supervisors. Instructors then developed a into the classroom. Mission asked its
prototype curriculum and brought it back instructors to gear presentations to semi-
to the advisory group for review. Shoreline, conductor manufacturing if possible, and
too, began the process with a needs analysis to relate class discussions to the work
that involved “lots of dialogue” with Boeing assignments of classroom participants. The
supervisors and training staff, while Mission real life environment at Intel has been used
drew upon the expertise and experience of as a focus of classes from English to physics,
the advisory council for input. At Mission, with homework specific to the industry and
as at Macomb, the advisory group has problems and paperwork drawn from the
served both as a forum and review board jobs of students.
for curriculum decisions, a process that
included frequent meetings and resulted in At Macomb, where classes were developed
continuing program modification. specifically to meet Chrysler requirements,
contextualization began with basic curricu-
LaGuardia’s Quality Management Training lum planning; each class was designed to
program has been adapted from previous conform to the framework set by Chrysler.
training provided by the college to other Because workers are being trained for new
manufacturers to suit Sequins’ operation. Chrysler job classifications, tasks are imme-
LaGuardia had spent 10 months develop- diately relevant to jobs. Classes are built
ing the basic quality management model around defined competencies that are mea-
that has now been used by the college at 14 sured at the completion of training.
companies (seven manufacturing firms and
seven service firms). Sequin’s director of


At Shoreline, too, training, by contract, has Three of the companies studied—Boeing,
been designed to connect to Boeing’s man- Intel and Sequins—chose to provide train-
ufacturing needs. Classes are built around ing on-site. This training is more conve-
the computer software employed by nient for employees and does not disrupt
Boeing, and Boeing blueprints and parts the overall operation of the plant.
are integrated into classes. Class design is Chrysler, by contrast, with the largest scale
based on achievement of defined compe- training, chose the community college as
tencies as at Chrysler. Shoreline has also the training site.
trained a Boeing employee who is responsi-
ble for continued employee training upon At Boeing, Chrysler and Sequins training is
completion of the project. part of the working day. It is required and
workers are learning a specific task or tasks
that they immediately put to use. At Intel, by
Delivering curriculum contrast, training is after work. Intel training
After creating a curriculum, partnerships is voluntary and unpaid, and focuses more
must find a way to deliver it that fits the generally on individual career advancement
company’s schedule, capacity and needs, rather than work-specific training.
and resonates with the trainees. The first of
these tasks—fitting the company’s needs— Regardless of the decisions made, it is clear
occurs in the planning period; the second that the ability to adopt training to compa-
and harder task—teaching effectively— ny time and place needs is a third key ele-
occurs in implementation. ment of successful partnerships. Flexibility
of time and place is described by employ-
ers as one of the most critical elements—
Meeting employer time and place initially—in making the decision to work
needs: wherever, whatever with a training provider, as well as in subse-
All training programs must deal early on quent planning and operation. The com-
with the question of where training should munity colleges, too, value and sell their
be delivered—on campus or at the work- ability to deliver “wherever, whenever”
place; and whether it should be conducted training, seeing their ability to take train-
during or after the normal working day. ing elsewhere as an important part of the
Considerations include the number of package they offer employers.
employees to be targeted; the kind of train-
ing to be offered, the duration of the train- For community colleges suffering the com-
ing, whether training is voluntary or mon predicament of space limitations, pro-
mandatory, and the capacity of the compa- viding off-site training is also a vital part of
ny training site and community college. any business plan. The college’s chief
assets—curriculum, faculty and credit—are
all more or less portable; selling them off

22 Working Ventures

campus can add significantly to revenue ing day. Most classes begin at 5:00 or 5:30
and capacity without imposing greatly and are, unlike other programs, voluntary;
added costs. For this reason, several of the workers are not paid for attendance.
community colleges studied see this as an Mission has been able to offer most of the
area of great potential and are actively mov- classes required by Intel at the Intel site,
ing to market this capacity. although some lab courses and other class-
es requiring special equipment are provid-
For all these reasons, flexibility in service ed at the nearby Mission campus.
provision and the ability to meet employer
requirements is an important part of all the Chrysler training, located on the Macomb
training programs studied. Each of these campus, posed a different kind of chal-
initiatives require community colleges to lenge than did the other programs. Rather
adapt or change traditional class structures than adapting to a company worksite,
and faculty schedules to meet the needs of Macomb has had to adapt its own campus
participating companies. Three of the part- to Chrysler’s large-scale training need.
nerships require community colleges to Macomb’s training plan put some strain on
deliver services at the workplace, while all the college, particularly in finding and
four require adaptation to the shift patterns retaining appropriate faculty who would
of the workers served. teach the designated classes during the des-
ignated times. This kind of flexibility, how-
For Boeing, the need has been to train all ever, is necessary to meet the demands of
workers who need Smart CAM during their large-scale corporate training.
regular working shift on-site at the factory.
This has required Shoreline to offer its All Sequins training is provided on-site,
one-week training during all three shifts, during the working day. Individual training
though most classes have been scheduled in areas like ESL is offered at the
for the first and second shifts. Shoreline LaGuardia campus.
has reported little difficulty in maintaining
this schedule.
Matching faculty and company
cultures
Although Intel is located only a short dis-
Developing curriculum and program deliv-
tance from Mission College, the company’s
ery that satisfies employers has been at
goal has been to establish a college on-site
times a difficult challenge, but one that
that could provide most of the general
falls well within the capacity of these com-
requirements for an AA degree, and could
munity colleges. A harder issue, however, is
offer these classes at a time convenient for
teaching the curriculum in a way that
workers. Based on the work of the planning
engages and benefits trainees, and that fits
committee, Mission agreed to offer classes
the prevailing company culture.
on-site at Intel, after the close of the work-


One concern facing training providers is training relationships between community
the need to ensure that all students meet colleges—or any outside provider—and
the academic requirements of the class- companies with a strongly established work-
room; i.e., that they have the basic reading, ing culture. This is particularly true in com-
math and computer skills to succeed in the panies where workers to be trained are less
training proposed. educated, have been employed for a long
time, have received most of their training
Partnerships studied here have recognized through internal sources, and have not
the skills issue and have responded by ask- developed a pattern of continuing educa-
ing instructors to gear training to prevailing tion. To some extent, these conditions
skills levels, and by providing individual apply at all the partnerships studied and,
remedial instruction when needed. At of course, at many industrial concerns
Mission and Macomb, for example, students throughout the country.
can receive individual tutoring and counsel-
ing, while at Laguardia they can be referred At two of the partnerships, Intel/Mission
to ESL training. Shoreline requires that stu- and Chrysler/Macomb, conflicts emerged
dents have some familiarization with PCs between one or two instructors and
prior to enrollment in training. trainees. Although the environment is very
different at the two firms, the cause—the
A second concern is to ensure that teaching perception that instructors did not under-
conforms to the culture of both the compa- stand or respect the company culture—has
ny and its workers. As staff from several of been the same.
the colleges noted, many of the trainees, who
are long-time employees, have absorbed the The Intel training program presents an
attitudes and style of their workplace. To interesting study in contrasts. Although
some extent, this means instructors can face workers are burdened with low basic skills,
a classroom of students who share a way of they are also, by virtue of long service at
learning and responding that can be very one of the world’s most successful compa-
different from those in the average diverse nies, well paid, often wealthy individuals,
community college class. Lack of familiarity with significant professional responsibilities.
or comfort with these kinds of corporate Moreover, Intel students are part of an
cultures can create conflicts in a classroom aggressive company that encourages what
where faculty are used to setting the tone one Mission staffer calls “constructive con-
and teaching environment. frontation.” Facing a room that includes
sometimes aggressive and challenging stu-
Adapting teaching to company culture in dents, have been some community college
the classroom has been a difficult issue for instructors who—both partners agree—are
several of the partnerships, and is an not necessarily ready for such a competitive
important factor to consider in developing environment. The result has been occasional

24 Working Ventures

classroom clashes and the belief on the cult to bridge even for experienced faculty
part of some students that some instructors and college administrators. In developing a
did not treat them like professionals. Intel partnership, college administrators, even at
ultimately asked to pull two instructors, leading institutions, face the inherent chal-
while Mission recognized that instructors lenge that a great majority of their instruc-
who “pushed back” were more effective tors will not be steeped in the ways of their
with students. partner’s businesses. This, combined with
issues of availability and competence in the
At Chrysler, a different situation prevailed. needed subject areas, highlights the need
There, during initial training, Macomb for professional development and planning
community college instructors, teaching an as well as occasional on-the-job training.
older workforce with an average of 27 years
of seniority and job security, had to find a
way to motivate trainees in making a diffi-
cult change in their working lives. Given
this challenge, Chrysler employer and
union representatives feel strongly that in
order to teach effectively, instructors need
to have a background in the industry and
an understanding of the labor force. In
practice there have been complaints that
some of the instructors did not relate well
to the trainees and that the teaching style
employed by one or two instructors is “too
directive” for the trainee group. As a result,
these instructors were taken off the training
project. As with Mission, Macomb has recog-
nized the importance of grounding instruc-
tors in the industry and corporate culture
to as great a degree as possible, through
prior experience or intensive orientation.

It is significant that the question of how fac-
ulty can effectively relate to corporate cul-
ture arises even at institutions that are
among the more notable nationally in
developing successful partnerships with
business. The gulf between academic and
corporate culture is often a wide one, diffi-


Budget

Among the most important questions for hensive training, award of academic certifi-
employers entering a training partnership cates, or continuing training, costs are
are those that relate to the cost of training. more likely to be fixed.
What are actual costs? How negotiable are
costs? Are there opportunities for public All the companies studied here paid all or
grants or discretionary funds? What about most of the training costs, either directly or
tax benefits? In working with community through the participation of union training
colleges, additional questions are naturally funds. While some of the partnerships have
raised: Are community colleges competitive been able to attract some public subsidies,
with other providers? Is there a potential others have not. Moreover, the subsidies
for college aid or other public subsidies gained are not necessarily related to the
that might not otherwise be available? community college connection.

Unlike the other key components of train- Similarly, there is no common experience
ing discussed here, there is no clear-cut with costs as compared with those of other
distinction between community colleges training providers. Two of the partnerships
and other training providers, at least as profiled here are seen by employers as
seen in the partnerships studied here. cheaper and more flexible than other kinds
There are also no firm guidelines for of training providers. Two others are seen
employers to follow, beyond the basics of as providing unique services that other
good negotiating and seeking whatever providers could not match, but are also
accommodation is available. If any lesson seen as largely inflexible in costs.
does emerge it is that colleges will be most
flexible on price in delivering the kind of Training costs naturally varied with the
short-term, no-credit training also offered scope and intensity of training offered. The
by other providers. Where colleges offer a 88-hour quality management training at
unique service-credit, intensive or compre- LaGuardia cost $11,000 per semester
($22,000 per year) for the 250 participants,

26 Working Ventures

with eight semesters of training conducted somewhat more comprehensive assessment
to date. Shoreline’s Smart CAM training, service with no additional training for
priced at $40,000 for training 70 students $95,000—more than four times as much.
in one-week classes in its initial phase—the
same price structure remains in place—has These same cost benefits do not hold true
trained 250 workers. in the larger and more unique training
models. At Intel, Mission College is tied to
From here, costs rise considerably. The a state-established cost structure for any
Intel community college training at Mission courses for which credit is awarded. This
costs approximately $200,000 for the 100 to has limited cost flexibility and the ability to
150 students served at any given time, while reduce expenses as the program evolves.
the extensive Chrysler training at Macomb This in turn has caused the Mission part-
was initially budgeted at $3 million for 350 nership to be an exception among Intel
students. subcontractors, who typically are required
to reduce costs from year to year. The issue
Budgets at three of the partnerships—all of fixed fee structures tied to credit extends
new training designs—were developed beyond the Intel partnership to other
through a process of negotiation between states; in Washington for example,
the employer and college, while the fourth, Shoreline and Boeing ultimately decided
LaGuardia’s quality training, is fixed-price not to provide credit for Boeing students
based on similar training LaGuardia has since it would raise training costs. At
offered at other companies. Interestingly, Macomb, where Chrysler training imposed
employer partners have found that the two a significant burden both in faculty time
lower-cost training projects—those operat- and overall capacity, the budget has been
ed by Shoreline and LaGuardia—which developed on a cost-plus basis.
both offer training that is available else-
where, are cheaper when offered by the An important question for any employer to
community college than by other providers, consider is the potential for community col-
or when provided internally. lege help in subsidizing training costs. In a
number of states, public subsidies available
Boeing, for example, has found that the to community colleges working with
Shoreline cost of training—$16/hour for employers can pay for curriculum develop-
each trainee—is far less than the $40/hour ment and instructional costs, and even pro-
budgeted for internal training. The man- vide cash to companies in the form of wage
agement consulting assistance provided to subsidies or direct cost reimbursement.
Sequins by LaGuardia includes both in- Other resources, such as foundation fund-
depth analysis and continuing, hands-on ing, also sometimes support community col-
strategic assistance for $22,000 per year. A lege/employer partnerships. The Alfred
major consulting firm offered Sequins a Sloan Foundation, for example, supports


LaGuardia’s work with manufacturers, and
provides opportunities for workers to
receive additional management-related
training, conference fees and other services.

With the exception of the LaGuardia pro-
gram, however, community college subsidies
have played a relatively small role in these
partnerships, with Macomb drawing down
some state funding to assist in curriculum
development. Other colleges that have
explored state funding report that funding
options do not fit, for one reason or anoth-
er, the design of the training program.

Potentially at least, the availability of subsi-
dies for community college directed train-
ing does provide a clear opportunity for
employers that is not available when work-
ing with other training providers. However,
employers also need to consider that these
subsidies may carry restrictions with them,
such as the need to serve low-income work-
ers or to link subsidized training for cur-
rent employees with guarantees to hire
entry-level workers.

28 Working Ventures

Assessing
Partnerships

Any look at larger lessons offered by com- At Intel, the company estimates that 80 to
munity college partnerships should begin 87 percent of enrolled students complete
with an assessment of the training conduct- individual courses. The college’s minimum
ed in these four initiatives. After three years standard of academic progress requires stu-
of training, how do the employers studied dents to maintain a grade point average of
view their partnerships? Are they seen as 2.0 and complete 50 percent of the overall
effective? Did they lead to measurable credits in which the student has enrolled.
improvements? What are the benefits—and The larger impact of training on degrees
costs—relative to other kinds of training? earned—the ultimate goal of the Intel pro-
Do companies plan to expand training? gram—has not been assessed due to vary-
What are the lessons for other employers? ing progress rates and the relatively long
time needed to complete all requirements.
Intel initially sought to get grade reports as
Outcomes a measure of progress, but this was turned
All of the companies interviewed believe down by Mission as violating student confi-
that training to date has been a success. By dentiality. Intel reports it has done no
and large, the measures they used have not internal competency assessments beyond
been global ones, such as improved produc- course completion.
tivity or market share, difficult to measure
or attribute in the context of industry lead- At Chrysler, success is measured through
ers like Intel, Boeing and Chrysler. Rather, pre- and post-tests, based on the defined
the focus has been more immediate, partic- competencies to be delivered in classes.
ularly on measures like successful comple- Classes are tested as a group, with success
tion of training provided. In all cases this defined as all members achieving compe-
has been high. This relatively short-term tencies. For the first 350 workers through
view of training impact may also reflect the the program, the partnership rates 99.7
fact that these programs are continuing. percent of trainees as completing Level 1—
the basic level of skills upgrade—and “99


percent plus” as completing the more that the colleges studied here have been
advanced Level 2. Chrysler has deliberately able to bring together a number of training
avoided any individual testing of trainees advantages in one place. If there is one
either in basic skills capability or achieve- theme underlying all these partnerships, it
ment of desired competencies, preferring is that all the community colleges studied
to focus on results by training class. here have been able to combine attributes
such as expertise, capacity and credit-bearing
Shoreline’s program, also designed to aid courses in a well-established and easily
participants in meeting defined competen- accessible institution. This has created, for
cies, has a similarly high success rate for the these companies, a training environment
250 employees who have entered training, that few other providers can duplicate.
with only a few failing to complete the
required coursework. Again, training success
is measured by Boeing in terms of this com-
pletion rate, rather than any larger impact.

Sequins, by far the smallest employer stud-
ied, expects the most ambitious outcomes
from its program, believing that company-
wide management training will improve
productivity and decrease costs. Although
all 250 of its workers are now participating
in the four-year-old training program,
quantifiable results have been limited due
to a longer than expected information-
gathering process. Sequins expects to have
a new information management system in
place by the end of 1999. The full impact
of the LaGuardia training cannot be real-
ized until these data are available.

More telling perhaps than individual out-
comes has been the decision of all the com-
panies participating either to continue
training or to enter into new training agree-
ments with community colleges. This deci-
sion does not reflect any single advantage
offered by these community colleges over
other training providers, but rather the fact

30 Working Ventures

Lessons

These four partnerships are in their way Selecting a Provider
exemplary, representing a successful match
Community colleges can be well-
between training need and provider. The positioned to meet critical training
community colleges, too, are not represen- needs in today’s economy.
tative of all community colleges, nor may The first lesson these partnerships offer the
other employers have the same training larger community of employers is that
opportunity afforded to Boeing, Intel, some community colleges are especially
Chrysler and Sequins. For employers well-suited to meet the diversity of training
nationally, it is important to recognize that needs likely to be faced by manufacturing
many community colleges focus more on employers in a competitive environment.
academic than vocational preparation, and As advancing technology increases the
that others are struggling to define their need for continuing education and train-
mission in a rapidly changing educational ing, community colleges are among the
and economic environment. training providers best positioned to meet
training requirements like:
Nevertheless, we believe that these exam-
ples fairly represent the potential of these • A continuing connection to an educa-
institutions as training providers, and that tional institution;
the issues raised here are reflective of
• Large-scale, complex and/or long-term
those likely to arise in partnerships estab-
training;
lished between employers and colleges.
The experience of these partnerships • Accreditation for training or receipt of a
offers a number of lessons employers may postsecondary degree; and
want to consider as they seek to meet their • Ancillary services such as counseling and
own training needs, and to plan, structure evaluation.
and operate programs.


Among the community of training providers, • Established curriculum and courses in
community colleges have a clear advantage the training field;
in meeting the training requirements and
• A pool of experienced and available fac-
challenges raised by large employers like
ulty;
Intel and Chrysler. For example, few other
training entities can offer, in one place, • Training delivery flexible enough to
degrees and transferable credits to other meet employer time and place require-
institutions (important to Intel and of ments;
interest to Boeing); the capacity to mobilize • Capacity to deliver training on-campus if
faculty; established curriculum to train in needed;
multiple subject areas (necessary for both
Chrysler and Intel); and the potential to • Willingness to engage in an intensive
offer continuing training and education curriculum development process;
extending beyond the initial training plan • Willingness to adapt curriculum to meet
(a virtue for all the companies studied). employer needs;

With the ability to hire part-time instructors • Willingness to devote extensive staff time
and take advantage of existing faculty, com- to management and operation; and
munity colleges may also offer cost advan- • Willingness to seek outside funding to
tages in smaller and less demanding train- help support training.
ing programs that do not require a large
educational infrastructure. In larger partnerships particularly, companies
should familiarize providers with training
Employers should seek community col- needs through meetings prior to selection.
leges that combine capacity, area exper- Companies should also be prepared for
tise and flexibility.
extensive early planning to refine objectives,
Not all community colleges in a region
structure and costs.
will be able to meet employer training
requirements. While, clearly, the appropri-
Realizing the advantages of community
ate institutional choice will depend on a college training can also mean additional
great variety of factors, the experience of costs and program burdens.
these diverse training partnerships still The experience of these partnerships shows
suggests a core list of characteristics that that the advantages often sought by
employers should consider in any selec- employers in choosing community colleges
tion process including: as providers are not always realized. These
advantages can also carry additional costs
and program requirements.

32 Working Ventures

Credit has been cited by several of these Structuring Training
employers as a reason to consider commu- Relationships
nity colleges. Pursuing accreditation, how-
Employers and community colleges need
ever, raises training costs and may delay to take clearly defined roles.
program implementation. As described ear- Partners need to decide early on how roles
lier, state cost frameworks and require- will be divided, and maintain a clear set of
ments for credit-bearing courses can result responsibilities throughout the training
in higher costs than noncredit training, as program. While this will likely vary depend-
well as limiting flexibility in negotiating ing on the nature of training and many
price. Creating new courses to meet compa- other factors, the experience of the part-
ny needs can require time-consuming facul- ners studied suggests that employers should
ty approval and may also impose individual take on a management and review role,
testing requirements that companies may and leave planning and operational respon-
wish to avoid. sibilities to colleges.

Similarly, employers cite the potential of Specifically, employers should focus on
community colleges to offer life-long learn- areas including:
ing for their employees. Community col-
leges do provide these opportunities, but • Setting objectives;
the link with training programs is not auto-
• Internal management;
matic. Ensuring a continuing connection to
community colleges requires that compa- • Setting budget parameters;
nies commit themselves to programs
• Reviewing program organization and
through efforts like individual education,
design;
planning and counseling. Although training
is continuing, it is not clear that students in • Recruitment and internal operations; and
these partnerships have taken full advan- • Monitoring.
tage of continuing educational opportuni-
ties offered by the community colleges. Community colleges should focus on
areas including:

• Curriculum development;

• Faculty selection;

• Scheduling and logistics;

• Training design;

• Day-to-day operation; and

• Outcomes and evaluation.


Partnerships should be managed jointly. Developing and delivering
As partnerships evolve, it is a near certainty curriculum
that tensions will arise between employer
Partnerships should incorporate exten-
and training provider, that initial program sive curriculum planning.
plans will be modified and that unexpected One of the strongest lessons to emerge
developments will require changes and from discussions with college administra-
quick decisions. All partners agree that in tors is the need to determine employer
the larger partnerships especially, the for- needs and wants. Even where community
mal division of responsibilities underlying colleges have a strong pre-existing curricu-
training structure should be accompanied lum base, program curriculum development
by a joint college-employer group to serve should begin with an extensive preparation
as a vehicle for overall management, to period—lasting several months or longer in
review key decisions, modify program larger or more complex training designs—
design and operation, and monitor pro- when college staff meet with supervisors
gram results. This group should include and workers, visit the workplace, observe
employer, union (if appropriate) and col- tasks and needs, and review preliminary
lege representatives. The advisory group designs with employers.
should meet regularly during planning
stages and periodically during the opera- Curriculum should reflect the workplace.
tional phase. College administrators agree that training
programs are most effective when they con-
Larger partnerships require a full-time nect in a concrete way with the workplace.
administrator.
As part of the development process,
Even with an extensive commitment of time
instructors should seek, to the greatest
by higher level employer and college repre-
degree possible, to incorporate real-life
sentatives, large training programs, such as
work context, practices and products as an
those sponsored by Boeing and Intel, need
integral part of classroom learning.
a full-time administrator who can serve as a
single point of contact for program partici-
Program delivery and teaching should
pants, employer and college. reflect the workplace.
Different workplaces reflect different cul-
tures and ways of learning. Just as curricu-
lum needs to incorporate the real-life
workplace, so does the way in which the
curriculum is conveyed. Some administra-
tors feel that instructors should share
experience or background with workers
being trained, particularly in cases where
long-time older workers are being asked to

34 Working Ventures

develop new skills. In any case, all agreed tion beyond formal training, partnerships
that selected instructors must understand should incorporate a career and educa-
and feel comfortable with workplace cul- tional counseling component.
ture and practices so as to teach in a way
that resonates with trainees. This suggests
that instructors become familiar with cor- Budgeting
porate culture prior to the beginning of Community colleges should explore public
training through workplace visits and grant resources to help support partnership
meeting with corporate staff. As the experi- efforts. In a number of states, funds available
ence of even this very limited sample solely or primarily to community colleges
shows, this can also mean encouraging can help support curriculum development
very different classroom styles—ranging and training efforts. While these resources
from supportive to challenging—depend- may carry restrictions that make them
ing on the workers to be trained. impractical or irrelevant to employer needs,
consideration of these opportunities should
Program delivery should fit with time and be part of the budget process. Community
place needs of the employer and workers. colleges should also work to familiarize
Effective training should fit as well as possi- employers with other resources that might
ble into trainee schedules, reflecting be available, including state and community
employer rather than college needs. economic development funds, and—where
Partnerships should explore options that appropriate—should serve as a co-applicant
include providing training at the worksite, for these dollars.
scheduling training to fit pre-existing work-
er schedules (including all shifts), surveying
workers as to best available training times,
and delivering training in small groups.

Partnerships should incorporate
supportive services.
Trainees may require a variety of services
outside formal classroom training.
Partnerships should incorporate individual
tutoring for employees below the basic
skills threshold established for classroom
training. This availability is particularly
important for employers reluctant to indi-
vidually test basic skills prior to start of
training. To meet employer objectives of
expanding a worker’s access to the educa-


Conclusion

The experience of these training programs advantages of accessibility, capacity, conti-
reflects both the importance of partner- nuity and scope that few other trainers—
ships between employers and training insti- private, nonprofit or public—can match.
tutions such as community colleges and the
difficulties inherent in making them work. Employers should not expect that any or
every community college can deliver on
The pace of economic and technological this promise. Many community colleges
change has increasingly driven firms, large have an academic mission, rejecting or
and small, to become consumers of train- minimizing a vocational role. Others have
ing, often provided by outside entities. failed to develop the depth and breadth of
Accustomed to setting high thresholds for training services that can meet the needs of
other suppliers, companies are proving to industries where technology changes week-
be demanding and influential consumers ly. Still others have yet to develop the mar-
in the training marketplace as well. ket perspective and flexibility to meet the
changing and often complex requirements
To succeed, the ideal training provider of corporate consumers.
must be able to offer a great deal: in-depth
training across a wide range of skills and One of the strongest, if least surprising,
knowledge; services delivered anytime and lessons here is that a successful partnership
anywhere; continuing presence and accessi- depends on the ability of the college—in
bility; and competitive price. many ways a traditional educational institu-
tion—to act in a nontraditional way. All the
As we have seen, few, if any, training colleges profiled here view their role less as
providers can meet all these conditions. institutions than as corporate partners, with
Yet, as publicly supported local institutions, curriculum, staffing and delivery treated as
community colleges have the inherent flexible and negotiable services, rather
than fixed features. This kind of negotia-
tion and flexibility, is, of course, less of a

We're Education...You're Semiconductors

We're Education...You're Semiconductors

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (16)

Andere mochten auch

Andere mochten auch (8)

Ähnlich wie We're Education...You're Semiconductors

Ähnlich wie We're Education...You're Semiconductors (20)

Mehr von MN Center for Engineering & Manufacturing Excellence

Mehr von MN Center for Engineering & Manufacturing Excellence (7)

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

We're Education...You're Semiconductors