Vocationalism and the Differentiation of Tertiary Education: Lessons from US Community Colleges

Overview & Synopsis

Many countries, including the US and England, have developed sub-degree institutions within tertiary education--community colleges, further education colleges, and related institutions in other countries. The policy question is whether the differentiation of tertiary education has been a wise development, and whether the benefits--greater access to tertiary education, an emphasis on teaching, an ability to bridge different purposes, lower costs--outweigh the potentially negative effects on equity. In the US, a number of ways of blurring the boundaries between community colleges and universities have developed, representing potential solutions to some of the problems created by differentiated institutions. (Contains 10 notes.)