As the first mega university, the University of Phoenix showed how a focus on working adults and career education could work at scale. Almost a decade ago, though, Phoenix began a long slide. The university’s enrollment last year of 84,000 was roughly one-fifth of its peak.
The Job
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What value do workers get with manufacturing credentials?
There’s good news and bad news in the results of a five-year effort to study outcomes.
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Bootcamps grow up
The sector is expanding rapidly. Amid a boom in offerings by ed-tech companies, several freestanding bootcamps are seeking accreditation, a key step toward being able to accept federal student aid.
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A college-wide approach to accelerating student careers
Spelman College and the nonprofit Braven announced a new partnership that will allow every Spelman sophomore to participate in a project focused on excelling after college.
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Microsoft’s and Google’s deepening ties with community colleges
Big tech companies announced new collaborations with community colleges and other open-access institutions in the past week—and the companies increasingly are putting real money and support behind those partnerships.
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A 50-year storm
Perhaps students will return to community colleges when things settle down. But if preliminary fall enrollment numbers hold up, the sector would be down 14 percent over two years—the largest collapse in a half century.
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Skepticism about companies’ college benefits
Do they pay off for employees? And how many people will they help?
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Amid corporate urgency, a new level of commitment to training
Hiring woes in big tech, health care, and retail are key drivers of alternative education and training pathways that have the potential to go big.
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Measuring the returns on college
Broad generalizations about the value of attending college aren’t worth much. But a growing amount of granular data about labor market returns for credentials is emerging.
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Should colleges be doing more to prioritize career development?
All four-year colleges should have a strategic plan to integrate career education, one associate vice provost said. “Workforce needs and the future of work require nimble and rapid adjustments to strategies and approaches.”