"Provides 28 case studies demonstrating how community colleges identify and address the continuous learning needs of their communities and how they develop individuals, help employers, and support communities as they fill the workforce training needs of the country"--Provided by publisher.

Presents research findings and analyses from papers on workforce development.

'Linking Education Policy to Labor Market Outcomes' examines current research and new evidence from Ghana and Pakistan representative of two of the poorest regions of the world to assess how education can increase income and help people move out of poverty. This study indicates that in addition to early investments in cognitive and noncognitive skills which produce a high return and lower the cost of later educational investment by making learning at later ages more efficient quality, efficiency, and linkages to the broader macro-economic context also matter. Education and relevant skills are still the key determinants of good labor market outcomes for individuals. However, education policies aimed at improving skills will have a limited effect on the incomes of that skilled workforce or on the performance of a national economy if other policies that increase the demand for these skills are not in place. For education to contribute to national economic growth, policies should aim at improving the quality of education by spending efficiently and by adapting the basic and postbasic curricula to develop the skills increasingly demanded on the global labor market, including critical thinking, problem solving, social behavior, and information technology.

This book is written for workforce developers in community colleges and branch campus settings. College administrators, public officials, and employers may also find it helpful because it will give them a frame of reference for directing--or judging the quality of--community college workforce developers, the functions they oversee, the results they obtain, and the services they offer. This book can also serve as a text for the many students who are preparing themselves for careers in the challenging world of workforce development in community colleges. The book is intended to cover key issues in workforce development. The fifteen chapters are: (1) "The Role of Workforce Development Organizations" (Laurance J. Warford); (2) "Strategic Business Planning for Workforce Development" (Frederick D. Loomis); (4) "Integrating Workforce Development and Institutional Requirements" (James Jacobs); (5) "Competencies for Workforce Developers" (William J. Rothwell and Patrick E. Gerity); (6) "Building Community Partnerships for Workforce Development" (Mary Gershwin); (7) "Marketing Workforce Development Organizations" (Paul Pierpoint); (8) "The 5-S Consultative Approach to Sales" (Wesley E. Donahue and John E. Park); (9) "Finance and Budgeting for Workforce Development Organizations" (Leslie Roe); (10) "Establishing and Maintaining Effective Relations with Workforce Development Faculty, Staff, and Administrators" (Dennis Bona); (11) "Assessing Needs for Training and Nontraining Projects" (Elaine A. Gaertner and Cheryl A. Marshall); (12) "Integrating Complex Training and Nontraining Projects" (Ethan S. Sanders); (13) Evaluating Workforce Development Efforts (William J. Rothwell); (14) "Outsourcing Training" (Karen A. Flannery); and (15) "Lessons Learned and Emerging Issues" (Patrick E. Gerity). Appended are: (1) Developing a High-Performing Organization: Self-Assessment Instrument for Workforce Development Professionals in Higher Education; (2) Competency Model for Community College Workforce Developers; (3) Competency Assessment Instrument for Community College Workforce Developers; (4) Templates for Conducting 5-S Consultative Sales; (5) Coaching Checksheet for Community College Workforce Developers; (6) Templates for Community College Workforce Developers; and (7) State-by-State Electronic Resources for Workforce Development Strategic Plans and Customized Job Training Grants. The book also contains a foreword by George R. Boggs and James McKenney; preface; information about the contributors, and an index.