Critical thinking competencies, communication, and math should be thoroughly integrated within the curriculum. Niche market programs should allow postsecondary vocational education to distinguish itself from more broad-based secondary programs, freeing them up to provide broader exposure to work processes and related careers. Exceptions to this local orientation include meeting the needs of adults reentering the labor market, and program development for institutions that do not serve a particular labor market or are in rural and urban settings with small or weak labor markets. Integrate activities within a broader workforce development focus. Workforce development in the broadest sense is the process of preparing human capital for productive work within a community.
Vocational education is the preparation of individuals with specific occupational skills.
It is, therefore, the specific role of the community college to develop its community workforce and economy. Programs include those that serve specific firms, customized training for incumbent workers, and counseling in One Stop centers. Maintain ties with secondary vocational education through Tech Prep-like approaches. Postsecondary education should maintain close ties with secondary school systems, and specifically with students enrolled in secondary vocational programs. Instead of attempting to articulate programs in specific fields, such as accounting, machining, relationships should be structured around career clusters that match the businesses and industries found within the community.