Community college/cluster connections: Specialization and competitiveness in the United States and Europe

This article summarizes a study conducted in 1997 and 1998 for the Communit y College Research Center at Columbia University's Teachers College that ex amined industry clusters in which 2-year colleges specifically targeted the clusters and influenced their performance. The core assumptions were that colleges that target local clusters are better able to create a real-life c ontext for learning relevant to the lives of students; encourage informal l earning that is not easily verbalized or codified; support more effective i nformal labor market information systems; and are more likely to accumulate useful technical expertise, information, and knowledge. The research, base d on four case studies-two in a traditional industry and two in a technolog ically advanced industry (furniture and electronics)-illustrates the ways i n which industry clusters influence community colleges and how community co lleges, in turn, influence industry clusters and the regional economies. Ad vantages and disadvantages are identified for students, enterprises, and re gional economies.