In this section we argue that linkages between educational institutions, their faculty, and the labor market are important in the context of a changing economy. In fact, the importance of such connections has been an implicit premise of recent state and federal policies. We then provide some examples of the kinds of connections which historically have developed between community colleges and the labor market through vocational programs, and provide a way of classifying the types of linkages one might expect to find in this setting. Finally, we focus on the role of faculty in connecting to the labor market and offer a framework for understanding why some faculty might engage in such behavior and some might not.