Oftentimes, community colleges have arrangements with four-year programs within the same state, while others may have agreements with private colleges or universities. Community colleges take pride in developing relationships with other entities based within their communities. Partnerships with local businesses and industries enable students to benefit from the expertise of professionals already working within the field. Such experiential learning can be invaluable in applying academics to real-work situations, and is a hallmark of community college engineering technology programs. Small class sizes typical of community colleges enable students in engineering technology and other programs of study to receive training on a more individualized basis.
Students are also able to become familiar with the faculty much more quickly at a two-year college.
The opportunity for a faculty member to serve as a club advisor or athletic coach lessens impersonal barriers which could easily exist in a larger institution. Another benefit of an education at a community college is that, while graduates have the option of transferring their credits to further their education, they also have the training and college degree to immediately enter the work force. The community college option is extremely attractive, when compared to enrolling in a baccalaureate engineering program but being unable to continue after completing the first two years, be it for financial or personal reasons. Alternatively, upon successfully completing two years of study at a community college, a graduate will hold an associate degree in one of the highly-employable engineering technology fields. There are several advantages for those seeking an education in the United States to look to community colleges to begin their college career.