The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) has released an article regarding a recent report by Apprenticeships for America (AFA). The report outlines four key recommendations that would help achieve the goal of 1 million apprenticeships in the United States. These areas include pay-for-performance funding, appropriately scaled funding, a developed intermediary system, and a smarter regulatory and statutory environment. The report highlights specific actions taken by the federal government to advance each area and the current funding landscape. 

To learn more about the state of apprenticeships, read the full AACC article: Grading the Growth of Apprenticeships 

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center(NSCRC) has published its report on undergraduate degree earners for the 2024-25 academic year. Every year, the NSCRC creates a profile for all students who graduated with an undergraduate-level credential, examining changes in student demographics as well as major fields, credentials attained, and other relevant trends. 

The report found that there were 3.4 million undergraduate credentials earned in the 2024-2025 academic year, and roughly 865,000 of those were an associate’s degree. There was also an increase in learners who earned an undergraduate certificate, reaching a high of 579,400. Additionally, there are more students between the ages of 18 and 20 completing undergraduate credentials than ever before. This age group represents 32.6% of first-time associate degree earners. 

To learn more about these trends, read the full Undergraduate Degree Earners report.

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is hosting the President’s Academy Summer Institute on July 12-15, 2026, at The Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa in Asheville, NC.  This institute was created for CEOs and presidents of member community colleges to learn about emerging trends and challenges in higher education, explore potential success strategies for community college leadership, and engage in various professional development opportunities. 

The President’s Academy Summer Institute is a great opportunity for new leaders to develop mentor-mentee relationships with other presidents and CEOs while focusing on the immediate challenges and opportunities facing their campuses. 

For more information or to register for the event, explore the President’s Academy Summer Institute.

The Urban Institute has developed a new tool to track student success outcomes. Created using national data, the tool allows users to compare almost 100 indicators of achievement – such as college enrollment, financial aid, and school environment – across different demographics, time periods,  geographic areas, and educational levels.

Educators, policymakers, community leaders, and researchers are encouraged to utilize the tool to measure achievement in their community and take action to support student outcomes.  

To learn more or start exploring data, check out the “Education-to-Workforce Framework Data Tool.” 

A recent report published by the Community College Research Center highlights the role of federal work-study programs in both college enrollment and program participation. Federal work-study is a financial aid program that reduces financial barriers to post-secondary education and provides students with opportunities to gain career-relevant work experience. 

This report tracked federal work-study enrollment at both two- and four-year public colleges, comparing applicants who participated to those who were ineligible. The federal work-study program was associated with statistically significant increases in student enrollment at community colleges. 

The report found that for students who received a federal work-study offer before the start of school, participation in the program increased by 27 percentage points. Additionally, authors explored which student populations were the most responsive to federal work-study offers and the effect on enrollment trends. 

To learn more, read the full report, “The Causal Effects of Federal Work-Study Offers on College Enrollment and Program Participation.” 

Inside Higher Ed is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, April 14, at 2:00 PM EST, featuring a panel of experts who will discuss key trends and challenges in higher education. Topics will include: 

• Emerging and evolving educational models
• The impact of federal policies on higher education 
• Higher education’s role in shaping conversations regarding AI 
• Issues that are expected to have the greatest impact on higher education by 2030 

This webinar builds on insights from a recent Inside Higher Ed survey, which found that many college and university leaders are struggling to manage financial and political pressures while striving to invest in innovation and remain relevant in the rapidly changing landscape of higher education. 

To learn more about this event or to register, visit the “Under Pressure: What’s Keeping Presidents Up at Night in 2026” registration page. 

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Annual Conference offers relevant professional development and networking opportunities for community college faculty and staff. The event provides access to the nation’s community college leaders, who will discuss a variety of topics pertinent to educational access, leadership development, priority challenges, and navigating AI. 

The AACC Annual conference will take place April 10-14, 2026, in Seattle, Washington.  

For more information or to register, visit AACC Annual 

An article released by the American Association of Community Colleges(AACC) highlights key policy changes regarding funding for agricultural workforce training. The Food, Farm, and National Security Act was advanced by the House Agriculture Committee in early March, which controls legislation for programs run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Agriculture Improvement Act had expired in 2023, but has now been revitalized by the Farm bill. 

In the Farm Bill, competitive grants for community colleges, technical education schools, and consortia of community colleges are included, specifically for agriculture and natural resources programs. Grants will be prioritized for schools that provide work-based learning in these fields.

To read more about this exciting advancement for agricultural workforce training, visit “Washington Watch: House Farm Bill includes new community college grant program.”

Created by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the Accelerating Recovery in Community Colleges Network (ARCC) is centered on boosting nationwide postsecondary enrollment since the COVID-19 pandemic. The network is currently conducting two research studies: 

1. Enrollment and Transfer Trends: Building on National Student Clearinghouse data, this research provides valuable insights into postsecondary enrollment and outcome trends.
2. Spending of Federal Recovery Funds: Relying on data from two sources within the  Department of Education, this study looks at the amount of federal recovery funds community colleges received, how much they spent, and what proportion of funds went to the institution and student needs. 

To learn more about these research studies or to dive into the ARCC’s other initiatives, visit the Community College Research page.

Mentor-Connect supports the ATE community by offering leadership development, outreach strategies, and mentorship programming for STEM faculty at two-year colleges. Additionally, Mentor-Connect assists potential grantees looking for ATE funding by providing guidance on how to apply for an NSF ATE grant. 

The upcoming webinars feature important information regarding project evaluation, necessary components for ATE proposals, budget preparation, and aligning budgets with project descriptions. More information on each webinar can be found on each event’s registration page. 

• NSF Annual and Project Outcomes Report: April 1, 3:00-4:00 PM ET 
• Preparing Forms for your NSF ATE Proposal: April 8, 3:00-4:00 PM ET
• ATE Budgets and Forms: Personnel Documents: April 29, 3:00-4:00 PM ET 
• NSF ATE Proposal Budget and Budget Justification: May 13, 3:00-4:00 PM ET

To learn more about these webinars and additional resources offered by Mentor-Connect, visit their website.