Employer Engagement by Community Colleges

A report released Wednesday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that New York community colleges engaged widely with employers.

Two-year institutions routinely work with local employers to help shape work-force training programs offered by the colleges and build students' skills for future work-force needs. However, community colleges administrators said in a survey administered by the Federal Reserve that they do not have enough financial resources or staff to expand their efforts, especially in rural areas of the state.

The report found that community colleges on average engage with more than 100 local employers. About 40 percent of the colleges have budgets dedicated to engaging employers, and about 90 percent have at least some staff dedicated to those efforts.

The health-care sector is the most common industry with which community colleges work, followed by the manufacturing and information industries, according to the report.

Most community colleges that answered the Federal Reserve Bank's survey reported they plan to increase their level of employer engagement over the next few years.