Building Community Partnerships to
Serve Immigrant Workers
Funded by the Ford Foundation
Nonprofit and Community
College Collaborations
The Aspen Institute
Research on Collaborations
 Increasingly nonprofit organizations and community
colleges are partnering together to help low skilled
individuals successfully navigate community college
programs and overcome hurdles to complete their
educational goals and find good jobs.
 In 2013 the Aspen Institute launched a survey of their
Courses to Employment partners to better understand
these partnerships and how they work (Responses
received from 177 non profits and 88 community
colleges).
Key Findings
 Non-profit and community college partnerships
are located throughout the country and are
growing!
 Partnerships focused on preparing students for
employment and targeted various industry
sectors and specific populations of students.
 Partnerships help community colleges more
effectively serve underserved populations.
Key Findings
 Partnerships help community colleges provide
students with support services not typically
offered (case management, transportation, child
care, etc.).
 Partnerships reported improved student
educational and employment outcomes.
 Partnerships can leverage and integrate funding
sources to provide more resources to students.
Key Findings
 Partnerships help institutions better engage
industry and business partners.
 Partnerships allow non-profits to expand the
range of training available to students.
Key Findings
 Funding, data collection and sharing and
working across institutions are challenges to
implementing partnerships.
 College bridge programs, career navigators and
wrap around services are considered best
practices and innovations.
Recommendations for
Nonprofits and Community
Colleges
 Leverage other resources in the community to
improve student outcomes and responsive- ness
to employers by partnering with other
organizations and institutions.
 Think beyond the short term and build
relationships that will last with well articulated
goals, roles, and systems.
Recommendations for
Nonprofits and Community
Colleges
 Communicate about partnerships to attract
resources.
 We are all in this together! It is all about the
students and the community.
Recommendations for
Investors and Policy Makers
 Invest in and encourage partnerships that will
help non-profits and community colleges better
serve students and employers.
 Invest in opportunities for partners to share
information and develop skills to create and
sustain partnerships.
 Build the field’s capacity to collect and share
relevant student data between partners.
Facilitated Discussion
Discussion Questions
 How did your partnership happen?
 Who was or is the champion?
 What have you determined to be the key
elements to your partnership?
 How did you build trust?
 What do you think are barriers to success?