Factors and Processes That Impact Use of Utah Community/State College Contract Training: A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

The shortage of skilled labor and the consequent need for workforce training have become critical issues for American businesses in our fast changing, highly technical, and competitive, global economy. College contract training programs are one potential source for meeting the growing need for training. The purpose of this research was to develop a relationship process model that defined the perceptions, interactions, and conditions that impacted attraction to, and use of, local community/state college contract training services by Utah small to midsized business managers. An exploratory, sequential, mixed methods design was used to gather and analyze data. The research was conducted in two phases: Phase One used a qualitative approach and consisted of in-depth interviews of 22 Utah business-training decision makers and 10 college administrators; Phase Two used a quantitative research approach, a survey of a random sample of 345 Utah business-training decision makers to verify and further define findings from Phase One. The results from the qualitative and quantitative data analyses were mixed for interpretation and development of a relationship process model.

Only 20% of survey respondents had used their local community/state colleges’ contract training services; therefore, the limited use of college contract training services emerged as the core phenomenon. Findings indicated this phenomenon was the result of a cumulative inhibitory effect from conditions in three main areas: deficiencies in college training mission clarity and resources; businesses’ lack of perceived training need and interest in outsourcing; and an inadequately developed interface between college contract training services and businesses.