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This chapter describes the evolution of the workforce development mission and its current crisis in the face of changing training demands, shriveling government support, and rising competition. Two alternative future paths are outlined: a baccalaureate degree-oriented new vocationalism and a renewed emphasis on serving the training needs of low-income adults.

This chapter analyzes various ways of conceptualizing the missions of the community college, describes how those missions have varied over time and across geographical regions, and examines how missions complement and conflict with one another.