<p>I can think of a thousand other extraneous programs that could be cut, such as disability programs, ethnic studies programs, sports, the cafeteria… Do any of these relate to getting a job? No. but vocational programs do. So why are vocational programs the one being cut? And no community colleges are not private, they are public. That means everybody has a say. If you disagree, please give me a legitimate reason why. People can’t afford to go to a two program from a for profit institution to get some bogus “diploma”</p>
<p>I don’t know what cut you’re referring or where it is happening geographically, but in Georgia we have a technical college system separate from the University System. A community college would provide access to the first two years of a baccalaureate degree; two-year technical college degrees typically cover trade and industrial fields, health and info technology, etc. Both systems play important roles but they’re two separate roles. You may be thinking about an institution or system in which community colleges have come to duplicate some of the roles of technical colleges. In a time of budget cuts, duplications would be the logical cuts to make.</p>
<p>Here is an article from my local newspaper: [Local</a> News | Cuts hit classes that lead to jobs | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015209908_collegecuts02m.html]Local”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015209908_collegecuts02m.html)</p>
<p>Community Colleges are in some cases cutting vocational programs, and it is primarily because they are so expensive, when compared to academic transfer programs. I’m not saying that it is right, it isn’t. But when colleges are faced with drastic multi-year cuts in their state allocations, it sounds to me like the taxpayers in that state are telling colleges to spend less money - and that means cutting expensive programs.</p>
<p>Huh, I have mixed feelings about this. Vocational services do serve their purpose, but community colleges’ first goal is education, not solely preparing people for the workforce. As gadad said, that’s what <em>technical</em> schools are for. There’s a massive difference between a student who wants to save money by taking the first two years of their degree at a community college and someone who wants to train for a different career by learning specific, employment-related skills. I’m not saying that vocational training is a bad thing, but that there’s a difference between preparing someone for the workforce and preparing someone for a bachelor’s degree.</p>
<p>My problem with the vocational program cuts from community college is that then there is no low cost option for low income people to get trained for the workforce. All the technical colleges cost over ten thousand dollars, and the training gained in those technical colleges is suspect.</p>