The paper addresses the impact of welfare reform on the community college and discusses how community colleges are responding to this important social and economic issue. One of the main tenants of the 1996 Welfare Reform Bill is to shift the responsibility for welfare to the states, requiring that half of all able-bodied recipients find work by the year 2002. Many have looked to the community colleges for answers. Dakota County Technical College in Minnesota, in conjunction with federal and state agencies, local industries, and Minnesota colleges and universities, received a grant to improve the skills of those current workers whose training has become obsolete and to develop lifelong learning techniques among the workers. These improvements will not only improve the wages of the workers and promote retention, but will ensure that the workers have the basic skills necessary to adapt if the job landscape shifts. Some experts note several barriers that have impacted the transition of welfare-to-work programs: problems with transportation; the lack of child-care; problems of alcohol and drug abuse; and the elevated prevalence of learning disabilities in these populations. Information sharing will help community colleges with novice programs learn from the experiences of other colleges. (JA)