Legislative Principles

3. Postsecondary institutions should continue to broaden and deepen tech-prep and other occupational programs, combining vocational and academic content and strengthening connections with the labor market.

The 1990 Amendments promoted two practices that are particularly relevant to community colleges and technical institutes: the integration of academic and vocational education, and tech prep. While interest in curriculum integration in community colleges initially lagged behind such interest in high schools (Grubb and Stasz, 1993; NAVE, 1994, Vol. III, Ch. 4), recently there has been an upsurge of attention that should continue, in order to help ensure that postsecondary occupation programs provide a broad range of competencies. Similarly, while tech-prep programs generated considerable interest in community colleges, most of the changes occurring have affected high school practices rather than postsecondary ones (NAVE, 1994, Vol. III, Ch. 5; Bragg, Layton, and Hammons, 1994). To assure a well-integrated, demanding curriculum for students entering from high school tech-prep programs, continued support for tech prep should stress the need to change curricula and teaching methods in community colleges.

In general, the economic benefits of postsecondary occupational education are positive, particularly for those completing associate degrees and certificates (NAVE, 1994, Vol. II, Ch. 6). However, overall positive effects mask much variation. For example, the economic benefits vary widely among different occupational areas; the benefits are more substantial for individuals who complete programs, compared with those completing coursework but not programs; some individuals who enroll in community colleges without completing programs do not benefit at all; and those who find employment related to their area of study benefit more than do those in unrelated employment (Grubb, 1992, 1993, 1994; Kane and Rouse, 1993).

One explanation for the variation in the economic benefits of community colleges is that the extent of their connections to employers varies substantially (Grubb et al., 1992). To be sure, community colleges have several ways of establishing connections with local employers. These include advisory committees; placement offices; student follow-up and tracking mechanisms; contract education, which provides instruction to particular firms; work experience and co-op programs; the patterns of student enrollment, which sometimes fall when labor market demand falls; and, in a few areas like health occupations, licensing requirements. However, while some institutions have developed connections that link their programs closely with employers, in other institutions these mechanisms work poorly, and students may have greater difficulty finding local employment related to their area of study.

Therefore, Federal legislation should provide funding for postsecondary institutions to strengthen their connections with employers, including high-quality work experience and co-op programs, improved placement efforts, and student follow-up systems to provide information where students are employed. In addition, the continued development of skill standards can help bring employers and education providers together.