Strengthening Community College Partnerships in Economic Development and Industrial Policy
This article was produced as part of New America’s Future of Work and the Innovation Economy Initiative. Subscribe to our Future of Work Bulletin newsletter to stay current on our latest research and projects, events, and storytelling.
Implementation approaches may shift under the new Congress and administration, but the multi-billion dollar and bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act — and industrial policies like it — are still poised to create thousands of job opportunities and require upskilling for incumbent workers.
Many of these jobs won’t need a college degree but will require some post-high school training. That applies to the semiconductor industry and other emerging technology areas boosted by the “science” part.
America’s community colleges will be critical to successfully implementing the CHIPS Act and preparing the skilled technical workforce these sectors will need. Today, community colleges are more than transfer pathways to universities or education hubs for America’s welders, care workers, and manufacturing sectors.
Community college pathways open doors to jobs shaped or created by the emerging technology areas emphasized in CHIPS — including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, and beyond.
But, too often, community colleges are left to navigate emerging labor market needs without adequate support. Faced with chronic underinvestment, unfair stigma, complex technology hype cycles, low-quality or misleading information about the economy and workforce, and inadequate professional development for college personnel, among other challenges. Such barriers stand to sideline the benefits of CHIPS for middle-class families and hamstring employers seeking qualified talent.
That’s why in September 2024, with support from Ascendium Education Group, New America partnered with the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to launch the Accelerator for Community Colleges in the Innovation Economy.
