Assistant Professor Clemson University Clemson University
Abstract: Two-year colleges, or higher education institutions granting less than a bachelor’s degree, play a critical role in higher education and workforce development. Two-year colleges have developed expertise in postsecondary workforce development by designing and delivering curriculum that is industry driven and implementing course delivery systems that are flexible and accessible to a diverse group of learners. Two-year colleges with their open access mission, regional location, and community facing priorities are leaders in advancing equity in career and technical education (CTE). Two-year colleges’ emphases on training, workforce development, and CTE draw direct lines into human resource development (HRD) areas of research and practice. Yet, there is little research on how HRD and two-year colleges have engaged and can connect to leverage each other’s strengths to improve individual, regional and community, and organizational human capital. To date, little empirical research connecting two-year colleges and HRD research and practice has been published. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to synthesize literature focused on two-year college and HRD engagement published in HRD journals. This systematic literature review aims to provide a comprehensive view of two-year college and HRD engagement, analysis of how increased engagement between HRD and two-year colleges has and may continue to increase human capital for individuals, organizations, and communities, and implications for research, theory, and practice.
