Yesterday, the Biden-Harris Administration convened community college presidents and provosts at the White House to discuss the ways they are strengthening talent pipelines into growing sectors fueled by President Biden’s historic Investing in America agenda. The Investing in America agenda—including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and American Rescue Plan—is creating strong demand for skilled workers in clean energy, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, and more. To support community colleges’ critical efforts to prepare a diverse, skilled workforce for these good jobs, the Administration has made robust investments in these institutions, including through the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technical Education program, the Department of Labor’s Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants, the Department of Commerce’s Tech Hubs program, and more.
Biden-Harris Administration officials from the Domestic Policy Council, the National Economic Council, the Office of the First Lady, the Department of Education, and the Department of Labor heard from more than 30 community college leaders representing 21 states on their successful strategies for recruiting and training a diverse array of students and workers; their efforts to create partnerships with K-12 systems, employers, labor unions, local elected leaders, and others; and how the Biden-Harris Administration can continue to support their efforts.
Community college participants included presidents and provosts from:
- Community College of Allegheny County – Pennsylvania
- Community College of Spokane – Washington
- Chabot-Las Positas Community College District – California
- Clackamas Community College – Oregon
- Columbia George Community College – Oregon
- Corning Community College – New York
- County College of Morris – New Jersey
- Dallas Technical College – Texas
- Davidson-Davie Community College – North Carolina
- Edgecombe Community College – North Carolina
- Forsyth Tech Community College – North Carolina
- Frederick Community College – Maryland
- Grand Rapids Community College – Michigan
- Greenville Technical College – South Carolina
- Hawkeye Community College – Iowa
- Hillsborough Community College – Florida
- Lakeshore Technical College – Wisconsin
- Louisiana Community and Technical College System – 12 colleges across Louisiana
- MiraCosta College District – California
- Mount Hood Community College – Oregon
- North Carolina Community College System – 58 Colleges across North Carolina
- North Idaho College – Idaho
- Northeast Community College – Nebraska
- Northwest Arkansas Community College – Arkansas
- Parkland College – Illinois
- Reynolds Community College – Virginia
- Richland Community College – Illinois
- Riverside Community College District – California
- Rowan College at Burlington County – New Jersey
- Truckee Meadows Community College – Nevada
- Ulster County Community College – New York
- Virginia Peninsula Community College – Virginia
- William Rainey Harper College – Illinois
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