The Trump administration's battles over higher education have mostly focused on elite and some public universities.

But the president's policies are also creating challenges for some community colleges.

And they could undermine those schools' plans to create more economic opportunities and jobs.

Paul Solomon has a report for our our series Rethinking College.

We've been following this story for years.

Where will more skilled workers in the trades come from?

The plumbers, electricians, construction workers.

More than ever, it seems, from community colleges, like North Carolina's Durham Tech.

So the students built this?

Yeah.

Our instructors probably built the frame, and then our students are learning how to frame out the doors.

College President J.B. Buxton says, like all community colleges, his goes all out to get anyone and everyone through the door.

What we're working to do is expand the population of people who are coming in to the construction trades.

And the classes here are full, teaching economic essentials for the region.

When you start talking about what growing a successful economy looks like, the supply and demand

equation that exists between workforce development and job recruitment and expansion is a critical

one.

Chamber of Commerce President Jeff Durham, no relation to the 19th century physician for

whom the city was named, says the companies here are desperate for skilled workers.

Question one from any company looking to expand or relocate or start up here is where is the talent coming from?

What does that pipeline look like?

Durham Tech is a key entity to help prepare our broader community for those opportunities.

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