Meanings students attribute to their experiences in community college short-term training programs

Abstract

This Basic Interpretive Qualitative research study examined the experiences of fourteen participants who successfully completed a short-term training program at a community college. The students participated in a combination approach of job search assistance and education short-term training program after the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) OF 1996. The study researched how the short-term training program affected the students' lives while in the program and differences made in their lives after program completion. Open-ended interviews allow the reader to witness how these participants interpreted their experiences, constructed their worlds, and attributed meanings to their experiences. A maximum range of diversity included Hispanics, Anglos, a European immigrant, single mothers, and separated, divorced, married, and widowed participants. Ages ranged from 20 to 60 years of age. Three themes emerged from the data results: Fear, Support, and Maturation. The overriding theme was fear. Fears were brought from the past, experienced during the program, and projected in the future. The support theme was also an important factor. Participants received support from various individual "village" members that included family, workforce center staff, college faculty and staff, and friends. This support contributed to the maturation theme reflected in the differences the short-term training program made in the students' lives during and after program completion. Most participants agreed the short-term training program did make a difference in their lives. Many stated successful program completion contributed to a higher degree of self confidence and toward successful achievement of additional education and career goals.