Many of the nation’s two-year institutions have rapidly stepped up to design coursework to fill the specific training needs of the businesses in their local areas. The National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, for example, is a multi-pronged initiative aimed at shoring up job training through a range of partnerships with colleges and businesses. AMTEC, for instance, is a partnership of several Kentucky community colleges and major car manufacturers, while the San Francisco-area Bio-Link Center focuses on area schools and employers in the biotechnology realm. Around the country, such partnerships between community colleges and local businesses are producing skilled employees for actual jobs. This session will explore success stories and offer advice on how such partnerships can be replicated.
