Many businesses, especially those that rely on skilled trades workers, report difficulty finding qualified individuals to fill open jobs. We believe it's time to meet this training challenge by creating partnerships that provide an opportunity to better align the skill needs of businesses with the education and training offered by community colleges. Unfortunately, many businesses and community colleges interested in such partnerships don't know where to start.

That's why this playbook was created -- as a tool for businesses, community colleges and anyone else trying to find out if this solution may make sense, showing how to get started building a partnership and the benefits that may result. It includes checklists and links to outside resources throughout this playbook that can be used either to have a conversation about beginning a partnership or guiding efforts to sustain an existing partnership.

The ideas in this playbook in part grew out of a Partnerships in Practice event at the Aspen Institute in February 2013, where business leaders, community college presidents and academic experts discussed the reality and scope of the skills gap, the challenges they face, and how businesses and schools can work together to prepare the future and incumbent workforce. This was combined with real-world examples of local partnerships that are preparing skilled trades workers.