Community Colleges Australia was launched in 2007 in Canberra and was established as the peak-body for not-for-profit community based learning organisations across Australia.

Community Colleges Australia describes the collective effort of its member colleges as an educational provision supporting the achievement of social, cultural and economic aspirations of the local community of which the college is a part. One of its primary objectives is to engage with the Federal Government on integrated delivery of Adult and Community Education.

The Community Colleges sector delivers accredited vocational education training to hundreds of thousands of people each year. As well as operating in the vocational education sphere the colleges also offer non-accredited training, lifestyle and leisure courses. Delivery of community education is undertaken at the grass roots local level and the colleges in the past have mainly operated within state based organisations. The establishment of Community Colleges Australia recognises the need for an integrated national delivery system.

The nation's Community Colleges, from a position embedded in their local community, share a commitment to the support of the people as well as other not-for-profit organisations where they are located. The vision for Community Colleges Australia includes the enhancement and strengthening of delivery of quality community education throughout the nation.

At the present time the sector is most recognisable on the Eastern seaboard of Australia with a collective annual turnover of more that $150 million dollars, and a workforce in excess of 6600 many of which are part-time tutors. Courses are delivered to more than 500,000 people a year from more than a thousand venues.