This paper focuses on two of the oldest and most emulated forms of community college global counterparts, Colleges of Further Education (UK) and Community Colleges (US).  Both of these institutions are at the forefront of providing unique educational opportunities based on their policies of open access which consequently allow these institutions to facilitate progression of a significant population into higher educational options in their countries. Despite functional differences, these two institutions illustrate how common philosophy can cross boundaries. This paper explores the comparative policies that maintain that the only fair selection is an inclusive selection. Our comparison will thus profile at both institutional types a) the origins of policy of open access admission; b) discourse on how this policy can be sustained during a period of economic crisis; c) evidence of the extent that the policies are working.

The paper examines the complex dimensions of the role of community college global counterparts in the context of open access philosophy. Current higher education literature rarely acknowledges the role of community college global counterparts, even though the roots of these institutions have existed since the 19th century. Moreover, even though these institutions currently exist in a variety of countries and numerous academic publications are beginning to chart current issues, (Raby and Tarrow 1996; Elsner, Boggs, and Irwin 2008; Raby and Valeau 2009), comparative inquiry on these institutional types have yet to occur. The goal of this paper is to underscore the similarities and differences of two community college global counterparts in terms of the application and implication of the open access policy, particularly in light of current budgetary constraints.

We use the term, community college global counterparts, to denote the adoption of community college characteristics by a variety of institutions worldwide (Raby and Valeau 2009).  Currently, there is no recognized term that cross all institutions that offer mostly post-secondary education and training that is connected to economic, social and personal growth. The three most recognized institutional forms of community college global counterparts are: Community College, Further Education College, and Vocational Education College.  In addition, there are descriptive terms for these institutions that try to unite concepts, but fall short of doing so. Some terms highlight length of study (short cycle, two-year), type of study (post-secondary, tertiary, non-university) and context of study (lifelong education, transfer education, vocational/ technical/occupational education).  None of these terms cross all elements of our definition and even the ISCED Classification systems do not have a specific category to adequately describe them.

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