The delegation, which included Hampton Roads mayors, business leaders and community college and university leaders, explored Germany’s dual-track vocational education and training program, a national workforce development pipeline.
Despite nominal support for transfers from lawmakers and university officials, transferring to four-year state schools is an unrealized goal for too many.
Perhaps more than any other kind of institution, community colleges are tapped into the needs of regional industries, using their close connections to local businesses to inform programs that create a diverse pool of career-ready talent.
Beginning this fall, the Massachusetts college will become the first two-year school in the state to offer such a degree just as political leaders in other, more conservative states are questioning the value of African American studies.