Minority students also favor community colleges, making up 30 percent of community college enrollments nationally . In urban areas, community college enrollments reflect the proportion of minorities in local populations. Offering classes in English as a second language typifies community college academic activities that respond to community needs. Remedial education courses at community colleges keep open the possibility of degree programs and highly technical vocational training for those who need to improve reading, writing, and computation skills. The multitude of community college courses and the various times they are offered allow working people to fit higher education into their schedules.
Many students also have family responsibilities.
Community colleges report a new enrollment phenomenon in the growing number of students with bachelor's and other degrees who choose to come back to community college. They attend for computer classes and other instruction in order to keep up with the technology that permeates work and leisure activities. At community colleges, people can continue to learn at any point in their lives. The fast pace of technological innovations and increasing frequency of job and career changes can create the potential for people to return to community colleges again and again. The National Profile includes narrative text and hundreds of tables and graphics, providing an in-depth look at community colleges from a national perspective.