Linn-Benton Community College Announces International Partnership in Green Technology and Sustainable Education

 Linn-Benton Community College is thrilled to announce its participation in the newly established U.S.-UK Community College and Technical Education Exchange, a collaboration focused on sustainability and green skills training. This initiative, developed by the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) and the UK’s Association of Colleges (AoC), is generously supported by the Cyril Taylor Charitable Foundation. It will pair U.S. community colleges with UK counterparts to develop student exchange programs focused on sustainability and green skills.

In this exciting first phase, LBCC will partner with Cambridge Regional College in England to offer students hands-on experience in electric vehicle technology, and Bergen Community College (N.J.) will collaborate with Southport College in England in the area of sustainable construction. The four colleges were selected from a robust pool of applicants from both the U.S. and the UK, and will be supported by ACCT and AoC experts in designing their exchange programs.

"I am very proud of our selection for the first exchange program with the United Kingdom, ACCT, and the Association of Colleges," said LBCC President Lisa Avery. For LBCC, this provides opportunities to globalize our skilled trades coursework, and it allows students the chance to enhance their skills across borders. Our faculty are excited to collaborate with their partners at Cambridge Regional College, and to grow this partnership in electric-vehicle technology. LBCC’s mission involves transforming communities and building our regional economy, and this exchange is a great example of putting that into practice."

ACCT President and CEO Jee Hang Lee and AoC Deputy Chief Executive Julian Gravatt formalized this international collaboration with a Memorandum of Understanding, signed at the ACCT Leadership Congress in Seattle on October 24. The event gathered approximately 1,800 leaders in community college education who joined in fostering governance, collaboration, and workforce development for the future.

Following an initial planning session earlier in October, the four participating colleges are now coordinating program details. An in-person meeting between the U.S. and UK faculty and leadership will take place in June, and student exchange programs will officially launch in the summer or fall of 2025. A scholarship pool will be available to support students who join the program’s first cohort.

The program’s impact will extend beyond the initial exchange, building a strong foundation for future collaborative activities that promote global workforce readiness and innovation.

About ACCT
The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) is a non-profit educational organization of governing boards, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern over 1,200 community, technical, and junior colleges in the United States and beyond.

About AoC
Association of Colleges is the national voice for further education, sixth form, tertiary, and specialist colleges in England. We are a not-for-profit membership organization established in 1996 by colleges for colleges. Our members make up more than 90% of the sector - educating and training 1.6 million people each year.