As colleges explore new approaches to engage adult learners and align with local workforce demands, collaboration with local communities is key to ensuring programs meet their needs.
Through a joint effort between California Competes, San José City College, and community partners in East San José, we examine how a community-centered approach can lead to responsive educational pathways. Together, we used a design thinking process to work with the local community, not just for it to shape a program grounded in their experiences and priorities.
The brief details how the team engaged residents through interviews, listening sessions, and co-designing workshops to elevate community voice, strengthened trust, and advanced the community ownership of the resulting solution, laying the foundation for long-term success. It also offers actionable insights for deepening college-community collaboration and highlights its benefits for institutions, employers, and students alike.
Key Findings
Community-centered design can lead to more responsive educational pathways. As community colleges navigate declining enrollment and work to better serve adult learners, engaging local communities as partners in program design—rather than designing for them—can lead to more effective programs that may also be more sustainable. Here are the key strategies:
- Engage local communities as partners in program design to identify community needs and build trust, rather than making decisions based on institutional assumptions.
- Strengthen community ties and build cross-sector partnerships across colleges, community organizations, employers, and training providers to create sustainable programs with holistic support and a lasting impact.
- Design complete educational pathways that address the entire student journey, from program entry to meaningful employment, not just enrollment and coursework.
- Establish structured, iterative feedback loops to adapt and refine program designs continuously based on community input at major decision points.
