Meanwhile, there is an increasing shortage of skilled workers to support the growing complexity of technology, products and services, while job mobility and turnover rates make it more difficult to hold onto quality workers. Analysts predict that there will be a million new unfilled jobs over the next seven years. Not only is the quality of training a constant challenge for corporations, but also the costs involved are a major drain on bottom-line profitability. What counts is how that technology is integrated, applied, and if it can recreate the classroom experience in a virtual environment. A New Opportunity for Community Colleges Community colleges have succeeded in serving the needs of the business community by constantly changing their continuing education curricula to better match the realities of the job market.
Community colleges are traditionally in close relationships with the employers of their regions.
They are closest to the real needs of their working community. They understand the real-world dilemmas of working students trying to find the time and funds to meet their continuing education needs. With seismic shifts occurring in our society, economy and technology, education demographics in America have dramatically changed. In 1997, more than 76 million American adults 40 percent of the adult population participated in one or more adult education activities, up from 32 percent in 1991. Accompanying these demographic shifts is a change in the focus of education.