Context: This provides background to a project investigating the social role of vocational colleges in several jurisdictions. Approach: The paper reports findings from the literature, 11 seminars in a series on the social role of colleges, and abstracts submitted for the double symposium. Findings: The role colleges play is not as well understood or theorised as is the role of universities and schools, and this matters because colleges are vital for the well-being of their local communities. They support their regions and communities in many ways that are not prominent beyond immediate participants who have first-hand experiences of the roles colleges play. There is considerable diversity in colleges’ social roles, but they have included equity, service learning, education extension services, work extensions services, cultural enrichment, community development or engagement, and local and regional development. Conclusion: All post-secondary organisations including colleges share educational, occupational, and social roles, although these roles may have different emphases in different organisations and in different programs of different orientations and levels. Clearly much more work is needed to develop a shared understanding of colleges and their social role, which we propose be explored in five key research questions.