Traditional higher education remains a vital part of workforce development, but community colleges are uniquely positioned to help workers navigate COVID-19–driven shifts in employment and skills demand.
Before the pandemic, many business leaders already reported skills shortages at their companies, and uncertainty brought on by COVID-19 has only increased the urgency to reskill and upskill workers. Analysts have warned that hundreds of millions of workers worldwide may need to shift occupations significantly by 2030, creating a critical need for flexible, accessible training pathways. Community colleges can meet much of this need—if they are supported and reimagined to remove barriers for learners and align more closely with employer requirements.
While college programs can help fill talent gaps, higher education faces serious enrollment pressures. Recent data showed undergraduate enrollment declines in the spring, with community colleges hit particularly hard. These declines threaten both students’ access to affordable education and the ability of regional employers to find trained candidates.
There is a practical, mutually beneficial path forward for employers seeking skilled talent, workers pursuing stable, better-paying jobs, and two-year colleges that need to refill classrooms. The solution begins by addressing learner barriers and supporting students throughout their training journeys. Below are four strategies that can create a win-win-win for students, businesses, and community colleges.
1. More affordable solutions for degree attainment
College cost concerns and student debt weigh heavily on many prospective learners. Community colleges offer a lower-cost route to credentials, certificates, and associate degrees that can quickly improve earnings and employability without the larger debt burdens often associated with four-year institutions. Many two-year colleges already provide short-term certificate programs and stackable credentials that target high-demand technical skills and career pathways.
Public investments, such as the American Rescue Plan that directed substantial funds to higher education, including community colleges, can help institutions expand financial aid and emergency grants for students. A significant portion of those funds was intended for emergency financial aid to cover attendance-related costs. The challenge for colleges is to proactively communicate and distribute these supports so workers understand the affordable education options available to them and can return to in-person or online classrooms without undue financial strain.
2. Change the narrative about higher and continuing education
For too long, the dominant message has been that a four-year degree is the only route to a well-paying career. That narrative has excluded many learners and overlooked the economic value of associate degrees, technical certificates, and targeted re-skilling programs. In reality, an associate degree or industry-recognized credential can substantially raise lifetime earnings compared with stopping formal education after high school.
Shifting public perception means elevating the status of two-year degrees, certifications, and continuous training. Employers, educators, and community leaders should emphasize that multiple education pathways can lead to stable, rewarding careers. Promoting the return on investment for shorter, career-focused programs will help attract nontraditional students, working adults, and those who need flexible training schedules.
3. Expand public-private partnerships
There is a persistent gap between the number of technical jobs available and the workers trained to fill them. Strong partnerships between community colleges and local employers can close that gap by aligning curricula with industry needs, offering customized training, and providing apprenticeship or on-the-job learning opportunities. Employers already collaborate with colleges in many regions to develop programs for skills like welding, solar installation, advanced manufacturing, and healthcare roles.
Public and private incentives—such as targeted funding for employer-driven training programs, tax incentives, or matching grants—can accelerate these collaborations. Programs that provide customized job training grants to employers create clear benefits: businesses can subsidize retraining costs for staff, and workers gain skills that improve long-term employability. Coordinated efforts between workforce boards, community colleges, and industry leaders can place displaced workers into new roles and build a more resilient workforce for the future.
4. Provide holistic student support beyond just academics
To entice workers into training programs and help them complete credentials, community colleges must address more than instruction. Students often need wraparound supports such as financial counseling, emergency aid, food and childcare assistance, transportation solutions, and mental health services. Colleges that invest in coaching, trauma-informed advising, and case management see higher retention and completion rates because they address the full range of obstacles adult learners face.
Education support organizations and campus-based student success teams can offer crisis support and personal coaching to help learners persist through challenges. During the pandemic, many colleges saw significant increases in students needing emergency and mental health services—underscoring that holistic supports are not optional but essential for successful re-skilling initiatives.
Community colleges are already a central element in the future of work. As technology evolves and the labor market continues to change—including impacts from automation and artificial intelligence—the role of two-year institutions in workforce development will only grow. Post-pandemic, many displaced workers recognize the value of re-skilling and up-skilling, but their primary barrier remains access to flexible, affordable, and supported educational solutions.
By promoting affordable credentials, reframing the value of two-year and certificate pathways, strengthening public-private partnerships, and delivering comprehensive student supports, colleges, employers, and policymakers can rebuild a stronger, more inclusive workforce—one that meets employer needs while creating sustainable career opportunities for learners.
Brandon Zelasko leads strategy for behavior change campaigns, integrating owned, earned, outreach, and paid media channels. He directs a team specializing in creative strategy, content development, and community outreach to engage and activate constituents.