This chapter discusses the process Broward College in Fort Lauderdale, Florida used to embed certifications from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals into its associate and bachelor degree programs. Included is an overview of the process followed as well as challenges encountered. The chapter concludes with recommendations for…

This issue of "DataPoints" shows labor participation rates of people 25 years and older by professional certification and licensing status and education attainment in 2018. The data demonstrate that individuals with a certification or professional license have higher labor market participation rates.

A new landscape is emerging at community colleges across the country -- a new approach that puts preparing students for the workforce at the center of the college's mission and culture. Occupational education has always been part of the mission at community colleges. What's changing today: New technology is putting a new premium on occupational…

Changes in the credentialing market have produced a complex, multilayered ecosystem with a demand for shorter credentials that are focused around job market competencies. Community colleges are well positioned to lead this emerging market for three reasons. (1) Their dual mission to offer both traditional degrees and workforce development programs…

High school counselors generally feel prepared to advise students about community colleges and believe these institutions offer relatively easy application and enrollment processes. However, results of a national survey conducted by NACAC showed that many counselors feel less knowledgeable about transfer policies at area four-year colleges and…

Recent years have seen growing recognition of the importance of a college-educated workforce to meet the needs of employers and ensure economic growth. Lifelong learning, including completing a postsecondary credential, increasingly is necessary to improve employment outcomes among workers, both old and young, who face rising demands for new and…

This article presents trends in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R) industry, with an emphasis on the importance of technician training programs as exemplified at the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) in Mesa, Arizona. The article states that HVAC workers are increasingly helping their consumers "go…

Economic projections show that skills-based technological change across industries and occupations will support rising demand for postsecondary education and training. By 2025, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce projects that 68 percent of the jobs in Iowa will require some level of postsecondary education. A key…

America and the South seem to have turned a corner on the deep and prolonged recession that started in 2008. The stranglehold it has had on jobs and job prospects caught many by surprise, and it has caused education leaders to refocus state policy on the relationship between career preparation and education. This report provides updates on the…

In this paper we estimate the impacts of the "pathways" chosen by community college students--in terms of desired credentials and fields of study, as well as other choices and outcomes along the paths--on the attainment of credentials with labor market value. We focus on the extent to which there are recorded changes in students' choices…

This study provides one of the first estimates of the returns to different types of community college credentials--short-term certificates, long-term certificates, and associate degrees--across different fields of study. We exploit a rich data set that includes matched, longitudinal college transcripts and Unemployment Insurance records for…

For southern New England, the middle-skills gap is projected to become acute by 2020, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Historically and currently, the middle-skills labor pool in Massachusetts has been significantly below national rates and has been recently experiencing a decline. Closing the middle-skills gap depends on improving…

There are lots of ways to enter a high-paying career without having a bachelor's degree. An associate's degree, a postsecondary non-degree award, or a high school diploma--often coupled with work experience in a related occupation, on-the-job training, or both--can lead to a job that really pays off. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor…

This quantitative study attempted to understand the factors that influence Minnesota community and technical college students to pursue Information Technology (IT) certification. The study investigated the problem of determining the factors that influence Minnesota community and technical college students to pursue IT certification along with…

This study provides one of the first estimates of the returns to different types of community college credentials--short-term certificates, long-term certificates, and associate degrees--across different fields of study. We exploit a rich dataset that includes matched, longitudinal college transcripts and Unemployment Insurance records for…