Here is a link to the Technical College our most valuable field inspector went to prior to coming to work for us.

http://www.emcc.edu/aboutEMCC.htm

He completed a 2 year program in Welding Technology, worked as a welder for 7 years, got his CWI and transfered into the QA/QC Department. His education, experience and work ethic make him very valuable. Recently he attended the National Board Training Center for "A" endorsement, and did very well.

Community Colleges used to be places where those that either couldn't afford a university, didn't have time to attend full time (non-traditional student) or needed to prove to the University Admissions Department that they could perform; attended.

Technical/Vocational Schools used to be just that, schools that only taught a trade. I am not sure, but believe years ago you could not even recieve an Associates Degree at one of these types of schools. That has changed. Technical schools now turn out some of the most able and valuable employees you can hire. Some do it better than others. One reason for this is the non-traditional nature of the student body. At many Technical Schools the students have been out of high school for years, and have decided to further their education. For this reason they have a much better work ethic. They have been in the work force and have better goals than many entering college straight out of high school.

I read a report recently that many Vocational/Technical Schools are having trouble with enrollment. Studies comfirmed that younger people do not like the terms Vocational and Technical. For this reason many of those schools are changing their name to "Community College". I think I heard a statistic that indicated those that have made the name change have experienced 10 - 20% improvement in enrollment.

One last thing, Community College is often time a stepping stone into a State University. I have some friends who did not so well in high school and could not get accepted into the University system. They were encouraged to attend Community College for 1 or 2 yrs. Once they proved they could perfom, the University admitted them and they graduated from the University with either a BA or BS.

Hope that sheds a little light.
Charles