This Data Point uses data from the 2009 follow-up to the 2004 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study to examine the rates of employment among students who do and do not earn a postsecondary credential, and among those who earn a credential in an occupational versus academic field. The Data Point also looks at the percent of students…

This qualitative phenomenological study examined the occupational downgrading experiences of six adult immigrants. Occupational downgrading happens when an individual's occupation post immigration does not match his or her education credentials and previous professional experiences. The goal was to make sense of the participants' narratives…

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…

As policy makers have placed an increasing focus on training and preparing workers to obtain postsecondary credentials, questions remain about the value to various actors, especially for job seekers and workers who often invest time and money to obtain a credential with the hopes of improving their employment prospects and raising their earnings.…

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…

Immigrants often are unable to practice their professions in new countries. Interviews in 1992 and 1995 with 910 Russian immigrants to Israel showed that participation in government-sponsored retraining helped improve occupational status and earnings, especially for women. Those with lower occupational status also benefitted subjectively from…

By the time today's eighth graders reach age 28-29, approximately 66% will have had some kind of postsecondary education or training. There has been a dramatic upward shift in the education and skill requirements for all occupations. Access to higher education has become the threshold for career success. Elite managerial and professional jobs,…