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 Community College Research Center at Columbia University’s Teachers College that examined 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 context for learning relevant to the lives of students; encourage informal learning that is not easily verbalized or codified; support more effective informal labor market information systems; and are more likely to accumulate useful technical expertise, information, and knowledge. The research, based on four case studies—two in a traditional industry and two in a technologically advanced industry (furniture and electronics)—illustrates the ways in which industry clusters influence community colleges and how community colleges, in turn, influence industry clusters and the regional economies. Advantages and disadvantages are identified for students, enterprises, and regional economies.