Evaluation of Camden County College’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant
Evaluation of the implementation of manufacturing and energy workforce development programs at Camden County College.
The Heldrich Center evaluated the Camden County College’s (CCC) implementation of manufacturing and energy workforce development programs under a Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The program involved a partnership with several other colleges in the state to implement manufacturing training with the use of a mobile teaching facility and utilities training that includes an employer-based hands-on learning component. The center tracked the progress of the students in those programs, conducted an analysis of the program processes, and calculated employment outcomes for students. To document student outcomes, the Heldrich Center calculated graduation rates and used administrative data and wage records to calculate key labor market outcomes, including the entered employment rate, average earnings, and the retention rate. With this project, the Heldrich Center tested a new approach for measuring labor market alignment in the college’s programs. The approach sought to document the robustness of the program’s activities that were designed to ensure that the number of graduates and their skills match employer needs. The evaluation team sought to understand the college’s goals for meeting the needs of students and employers and then document that sound processes were used to ensure that program activities align with these goals in areas from program selection to intake to teaching and assessment.