A community responds to economic change: A case study of the
Lehigh Valley This study emerges out of two research
initiatives. The first, “Work Readiness, School Effectiveness,
and Employer Satisfaction” was conducted by the National Center
on the Educational Quality of the Workforce (EQW). The second,
“Six-Nation Education for the Twenty-First Century Project-
Vocational Training and Educational Growth Project” was
initiated under the auspices of the Institute for Research on
Higher Education (IRHE). In both studies, focus groups were
conducted with three significant stakeholder groups—students,
educators, and employers. Economic change, which is brought
about by advances in technology and global competition, was
viewed as the underlying reality for shifts occurring in the
Lehigh Valley. Many studies focus on global competition and how
nations respond to changing economies. However, less is
understood about: (a) how community stakeholders respond to
regional industry and occupational shifts, (b) what jobs, sk