Noncredit workforce education has long been an important function of community colleges. These programs typically prepare students for industry-sponsored certifications, licensures, and/or college-bestowed certificates. They have traditionally been siloed away from credit programs, and, thus, do not have to match credit hour requirements and semester schedules. Yet, in recent years, the landscape of noncredit workforce education—in terms of funding availability, program offerings, and its stature and location within colleges—has shifted dramatically (Van Noy & Hughes, 2022).

Changes to the organization and provision of noncredit workforce education may be happening in response to changes in learners’ and workers’ preferences and needs. Since the pandemic, increasing numbers of adults in the U.S. report that they prefer nondegree pathways that can be completed more quickly than degree programs (Strada Education Foundation, 2020). A recent survey conducted by The Wall Street Journal and the National Opinion Research Center found that, for the first time, a majority of Americans say a four-year college education is not worth the cost (Belkin, 2023). Rather than degrees, many learners and workers seem to be seeking shorter-term upskilling and reskilling programs that will give them upward mobility opportunities in the labor market.

In this context, what does quality look like in noncredit workforce education programming? How are programs designed with quality in mind? What approaches are colleges taking as they design and deliver programs intended to meet the demands of learners? What competencies do the programs teach, and which credentials are awarded?

Drawing from prior work on quality (Van Noy et al., 2019), we studied programs at four institutions—William Rainey Harper Community College, Illinois; LaGuardia Community College, New York; Mount San Antonio Community College (Mt. SAC),  California; and Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), Virginia—to explore and document emerging practices related to quality. We conducted interviews with college administrators and faculty, mapped programs and their characteristics (e.g., duration, cost, credential awarded), and examined how different state and funding contexts influenced noncredit workforce offerings. We found some commonalities and some variations in noncredit programming development and decision-making; we also noted some established programs and practices, with others in flux. Our findings can help inform colleges that are making their way in this shifting landscape.

Labor Market Relevance

An initial and essential marker of quality is that programs are selected and designed with relevance to the labor market. This includes making sure the programs have enough demand in the labor market and successfully convey the appropriate skills for that market (Cleary et al., 2017). In accordance with national best practices, all four colleges in our study access labor market data from Lightcast (formerly Emsi Burning Glass) or from state sources, and rely on employer guidance to determine which programs to offer.

We did see variation in the colleges’ choice of credential that programs yield, whether industry certifications, college certificates, and/or licensures. At NOVA, industry-recognized credentials are emphasized due to state funding that rewards these programs. The college certificate programs we studied at LaGuardia were designed to prioritize the specific needs of local employers rather than prepare students for a national examination. Certificate programs are often developed in close collaboration with employers to serve local and regional needs. Programs that prepare for licensures, such as real estate broker programs, follow state regulations.

Instructional Practices

Program curricula can be viewed as on a continuum from homegrown to prescriptive, as some are designed by college instructors with limited industry input (e.g., electronics at Mt. SAC); others are codesigned by instructors and industry (e.g., medical billing at LaGuardia); and still others come from organizations outside the institution, such as off-the-shelf, industry-developed curricula (e.g., solar at Harper) and state-dictated content (e.g., real estate at Harper). Flexibility or prescriptiveness of the program content taught tends to be related to the credential to which the program leads. For example, programs leading to a certification examination by a national body tend to teach fixed content, embed exam preparation into the curriculum, and give practice exams to assess student readiness.

College administrators noted the industry orientation of curriculum as a marker of quality; a Harper administrator said that using a curriculum from industry adds credibility to the program. Instructors must have the credential associated with the program, and most are hired from industry.

Administrators and faculty emphasized that all workforce course content and pedagogy must combine theory and practice. When developing courses and programs, college personnel ask, What is the mix of lecture and hands-on activities that will best prepare students for the credential and for employment? All types of programs use case studies, work-world scenarios, simulations, and labs to practice and apply skills. For example, the real estate broker program at Harper incorporates role-playing exercises.

Accessibility

Accessibility refers to the ease with which students can enroll in, progress in, and complete the program. Accessibility may be influenced by entrance requirements and program characteristics such as length and format, as well as cost.

The programs we studied tend to have some entrance requirements, but most are minimal, such as being at least 18 years of age. Some may require background checks or drug tests, such as for some healthcare programs. Programs with many more interested students than spaces may implement screening requirements. For example, LaGuardia’s in-demand medical billing program is targeted to local, low-income individuals; to keep its grant funding, staff try to identify applicants who are most likely to complete the program through reading and writing tests and an interview.

Administrators and faculty told us that short and hybrid programs are considered the most accessible to students, with 8 to 10 weeks an ideal length. An instructor at NOVA shared that when the college stretched courses longer, they often lost students in the last few weeks; she hypothesized that students cannot go without full-time work for that long. Some college personnel told us that hybrid course formats are most popular among students and reflect a general pattern: content instruction is conducted online while manual skills practice is conducted in person.

Affordability increases accessibility. Program costs to students vary, but many programs are low-cost or free. Costs may include tuition as well as textbooks, uniforms, and exam fees. California and Virginia are notable in covering some of these costs; yet, even as tuition is free in California, exam fees are covered by the student. Colleges described making significant efforts to seek grant funding and raise scholarship funds for students, particularly in New York where there is no formula funding for noncredit workforce education.

Student Supports

Despite the typically short nature of noncredit workforce programming, we should not assume that students do not need support. Adult students often have work and family responsibilities that may pose barriers to program commitment, even in the short term.

However, we found that supports are not universally available to students in noncredit programs. Availability is tied closely to funding. At Mt. SAC, state funds make it possible to have counselors dedicated to students in noncredit programming. Counselors speak with students to assess their readiness for college coursework, particularly online learning, and ask about students’ career goals. We were told that students are happy to speak with counselors and can do so easily by telephone or video call. At NOVA, support staff focus on student retention and completion in industry certification programs, since credential award is tied to college reimbursement by the state. At LaGuardia, advisors and case managers are embedded in some grant-funded programs, but not in tuition-funded programs.

Generally, though, students in noncredit programs can access the colleges’ resources, such as basic needs assistance. And, the colleges generally embed career information and job search aid directly into the programs.

Looking Ahead

Noncredit workforce education is showing promising potential to provide upward mobility to adults who say they do not want to, or are not able to, commit to longer-term associate and bachelor’s degrees. Colleges want to meet both learners’ and employers’ needs to contribute to prosperity locally. Thus, administrators and faculty are working to better understand ways to ensure quality in their programs, from the nuts-and-bolts of course scheduling and modality to course content to supporting student completion to examining data to understand which credential will have the best return for the learner. We advocate for more research as well as more college-to-college sharing of quality practices and positive outcomes.

Read more in Its Own Standard: Approaches to Quality in Community College Noncredit Workforce Education.

References

Belkin, D. (2023, March 31). Americans are losing faith in college education, WSJ-NORC poll finds. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/americans-are-losing-faith-in-college-education-wsj-norc-poll-finds-3a836ce1?st

Cleary, J., Kerrigan Reid, M., & Van Noy, M. (2017). Towards a new understanding of labor market alignment. In M. B. Paulsen (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research, Vol. 32 (pp. 577-629). Springer Interna­tional Publishing. https://doi.10.1007/978-3-319-48983-4_12

Strada Education Foundation. (2020). Public viewpoint: COVID-19 work and education survey. https://cci.stradaeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/Public-Viewpoint-Charts-November-12-2020.pdf

Van Noy, M., McKay, H., & Michael, S. (2019). Non-degree credential quality: a conceptual framework to guide measurement. Rutgers Education and Employment Research Center. https://smlr.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/Documents/Centers/EERC/rutgerseerc_ndcquality
_framework_full_paper_final.pdf

Van Noy, M., & Hughes, K. (2022). A snapshot of the shifting landscape of noncredit community college workforce education. Rutgers Education and Employment Research Center. https://smlr.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/Documents/Centers/EERC/Snapshot%20of%20Shifting
%20Landscape%20Issue%20Brief.FINAL_0.pdf

Katherine Hughes is Principal Researcher at American Institutes for Research in Arlington, Virginia. Michelle Van Noy is Director and Associate Research Professor, Education and Employment Research Center, at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Opinions expressed in Innovation Showcase are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the League for Innovation in the Community College.