For more than two decades, I’ve seen firsthand how community colleges change lives.
I began my career as an adjunct sociology instructor at a large urban-suburban community college. Today, I serve as vice president for academic affairs and workforce development at a community college that serves residents in a city and six large counties. Over the years, I’ve watched these institutions evolve — not just as places of learning, but as engines of economic opportunity. Community colleges open doors and create meaningful options, particularly in communities where opportunity has historically been limited or unevenly distributed.
Early on, it became clear that the classroom was about more than delivering academic content. It was a space of economic transformation. Many of my students were African American women living in public housing or low-income neighborhoods near the college. Some were grandmothers raising grandchildren. Others were single mothers, formally incarcerated or recent GED recipients — many shaped by the Clinton-era welfare-to-work policies of the 1990s. They bore the long-term impact of public policy decisions that too often failed to create sustainable pathways to opportunity.
For them, college wasn’t an abstract ideal — it was a foothold in the labor market and a way to reshape their families’ futures. Their determination made it clear: community colleges are essential to breaking cycles of poverty, expanding workforce participation and building economic mobility that reaches across generations.
Putting principles into practice
While the concept of economic development is often associated with international aid or national infrastructure efforts, its core principles — capacity building, sustainability and education — are equally applicable within our own communities. Community colleges are where these principles become practice.
Capacity-building strengthens the skills and resources of individuals to ensure long-term growth. Sustainability ensures that today’s needs are met without compromising the well-being of future generations. Comprehensive education — delivered through targeted instruction, skills-based training and aligned academic pathways — supports individual advancement while reinforcing regional economic growth.
When communities lack strong institutional commitments to these principles, the result is a widening gap between people’s aspirations for a better life and the education or training required to get there. Whether the goal is workforce entry or academic transfer, that disconnect remains unresolved unless institutions intervene with purpose.
This is where community colleges serve as a bridge. Research underscores the pivotal role in regional economic development. A 2023 report, “The Community College Role in Economic Development: A Conceptual Model,” published by the Education & Employment Research Center at Rutgers University, outlines how our institutions produce a skilled and inclusive workforce, support business innovation and engage in local planning initiatives. The report highlights that community colleges do not simply respond to labor market needs — they help shape them through proactive partnerships and responsive programming.
But what that looks like in practice is deeply human. The economic development role of community colleges shows up in the lives of many students like the ones I first served — those who saw college not as a theoretical pursuit but as a practical investment in their families’ stability. Our institutions meet these students where they are and build bridges between individual ambition and local opportunity. We don’t just train workers — we create multiple access points to stability and long-term growth.
Reimaging practices
One of the most enduring conditions that community colleges cultivate is access — particularly to workforce and transfer-focused programming. Our mission of open access is not a static policy statement, but a living commitment to meeting students where they are. That commitment demands ongoing reflection and adaptation in curriculum design, teaching methodology, student support and workforce alignment.
What served students a decade ago may not work today. This reality calls for community college leaders — and our partners — to continuously dismantle outdated structures and reimagine practices that center student success and economic growth. Our institutions are uniquely positioned to lead this work.
More than our mission is reflected in this position — it reflects our history. Community colleges were originally founded to provide vocational training, but over time, they have grown into comprehensive institutions that offer robust transfer pathways, industry-recognized certifications and innovative workforce development models. This transformation underscores our enduring commitment to expanding opportunity and ensuring that working adults, first-generation students and individuals from low-income households have access to education that leads to upward mobility and personal advancement.
Perhaps one of the most visible impacts of this transformation is our leadership in facilitating college transfer. Serving roughly 7.5 million undergraduates annually, community colleges have become essential entry points to higher education. We are diversifying the pipeline into four-year institutions and broadening access to academic and professional success. In doing so, we address not only barriers to education, but barriers to employment and advancement.
Our relevance extends beyond traditional academic programming into the realm of innovative student supports. At my college and others like it, we serve hundreds of adult learners each year by offering high school equivalency preparation, English language instruction, digital literacy and short-term workforce training. These programs are more than educational opportunities — they are second chances.
Building on these foundations, we’ve also implemented models that connect job seekers with employers through structured pathways to sustainable careers. These efforts rely on strong partnerships with employers, workforce boards, community-based organizations and regional economic development agencies. Wraparound services — such as transportation assistance, child care, housing referrals and personalized coaching—are critical to this work. They allow us to meet students’ full range of needs so they can persist and complete their programs.
The outcomes speak volumes: many of our participants secure employment shortly after completion, often with significant wage increases and long-term career prospects. When we serve students holistically and strategically, the impact is both measurable and lasting — not only for individuals, but for entire communities.
Persistent challenges…and opportunities
Yet, despite these successes, challenges remain. Community colleges continue to operate with limited funding, face persistent resource constraints and must regularly revise curricula to keep pace with fast-evolving labor markets. Additionally, measuring the long-term economic impact of workforce programs remains complex. These realities demand continued investment — not only in programs and credentials, but in the infrastructure, staffing and data systems that support them.
Opportunity exists as well. Expanding work-based learning — including apprenticeships, internships and credit for prior learning — would enhance the relevance of our programs and increase flexibility for adult learners. And, most critically, supporting students with policies that fund wraparound services and reduce basic needs insecurity will ensure that we continue to meet learners where they are — both academically and personally.
As I reflect on what our institutions accomplish every day, I am reminded that economic development is not an abstract ideal. It is the tangible result of the work we do in classrooms, faculty and advising offices, in our hallways and through community partnerships. Every student who transfers to a university, earns a credential or secures meaningful employment is living proof of the power and promise of our mission. By removing barriers and building bridges to opportunity, community colleges create lasting change — one learner, one family and one community at a time.
