The evolving approach of hybrid colleges, which provide in-person coaching and other place-based support, is worth watching.
Workforce
Covering higher education in the 2020s means also covering the alternative pathways and credentials that are rapidly emerging.
Also see Work Shift, our project dedicated to reporting and opinion on the intersection of education and work.
Many certificate programs would fail a proposed earnings test
The policy would compare the wages of program graduates with those of workers with only a high-school diploma.
Competing on price
Burck Smith, founder of StraighterLine, on online course provider, remains confident that change is coming to higher ed. A key driver will be big enrollment woes.
State funding in Ohio aims to help address truck driving shortages
The chancellor of Ohio’s Department of Higher Education said the pandemic highlighted the urgency around the issue.
A key missing partner
If alternative paths to degrees and good jobs are going to work for meaningful numbers of workers, the growing consensus holds that both employers and colleges need to be at the table—often with an intermediary organization.
How Colorado Mountain College sets example in practical preparation for jobs
School leaders credit the college’s connection to its communities as a reason why it has prioritized programs that meet the needs of mountain towns.
A smoother path to jobs
The pandemic helped show that money is hardly the only reason why lower-income Americans pass up college. Employer-sponsored degrees could help more people decide college is worth the risk.
“Sponsored” degrees: money for school in exchange for a work commitment
Deloitte will pay for degrees from ASU and Northeastern for future workers who GetSet Learning will recruit from two-year colleges.
Time is a barrier for workers with college benefits
Many people without degrees also had negative experiences in school and often have no desire to resume a formal education.
Better jobs in less time: Colorado plan aims to connect higher ed, workforce
A package of bills unveiled Tuesday and backed by Gov. Jared Polis lays out how the state will spend roughly $95 million in federal relief money to improve access to higher education and connect education to in-demand jobs.