Too often, we aren’t asking the right questions or listening to the right people. The Education and Employment Research Center at Rutgers’ University (EERC) and the National Council for Workforce Education (NCWE) aims to change this. EERC and NCWE are launching a new initiative to understand the experiences and perspectives of students enrolled in noncredit workforce programs, and those of the college staff and faculty who oversee and deliver the programs. The Student Voices Informing Practice in Noncredit Workforce Education initiative is designed to find out what works and what can be improved:
What can we learn from students in noncredit workforce education that could directly inform policies and practices in their programs?
How can we create effective dialogue among college practitioners to drive program and policy change and improve outcomes?
Noncredit programs are not new to community colleges, but recent interest in them has grown, as increasing numbers of adults seek to improve their labor market prospects with short-term and affordable programs. Yet, little is known about those who enroll in these programs, as most noncredit offerings and systems exist separately from the colleges’ credit programs and infrastructure. The expertise of college staff leading and teaching in noncredit programs is also often missing from the research, policy, and practice landscape.
This collaborative initiative will consist of research to capture the perspectives of the students, and a community of practice for peer learning among 15 participating colleges. An important focus of the project is to connect research to practice, to ensure the experiences and insights of noncredit students and college practitioners drives that change that will improve programs, learner outcomes, and Workforce Pell Implementation.
Project Activities:
College Surveys and Program Analysis. For each college, the research team will document the overall status of noncredit workforce education through a survey and analysis of policies, practices, and program offerings.
Student Surveys and Interviews. Researchers will conduct a survey of students in noncredit workforce programs at each college, drawing from EERC’s prior work, to understand students’ goals, experiences, and challenges. A subset of students will be recruited for interviews.
Interviews with College Staff. The research team will also conduct interviews with instructors, administrators, and advisors from a subset of the colleges to gather their perspectives.
Peer Learning Convenings. The research will be complemented by peer learning convenings among college staff to reflect on the research findings and share effective practices and change opportunities. The convenings will include virtual gatherings and a final in-person convening.
We are seeking colleges to participate in this study. To learn more, please visit our call for college partners page. Contact Katherine Hughes at katherine.hughes@rutgers.edu or Kate Kinder at kkinder@ncwe.org for more information.