Yesterday, I wrote about new data analysis released by the Institute for Higher Education Policy. The data, which powers the group’s Equitable Valuation Explorer, shows the “value” of a college education by school. One view of the data explores the economic mobility of a degree, based on the institution that issued it.
IHEP defines “economic mobility” as “earnings high enough to enter 4th (60th to 80th percentile) income quintile or above regardless of credential level within state.” In Michigan, about three dozen educational institutions (mostly universities and private colleges) meet this threshold. No community colleges do.
If a community college degree or certificate doesn’t offer any kind of economic mobility, then why do we bother with them at all? In fact, according to the data, community college degrees offer negative economic mobility. Why are we promoting educational pathways that leave people economically stranded a decade after their graduation?
The unreasonable focus on “getting people into the job market quickly” is absurd. It does no one any favors when their quick trip through a community college provides them with only some of the bare essentials needed for a job in a particular field. The employer sees these individuals as poorly trained and not work-ready. It puts the graduated student in an untenable position and sets them up for financial and occupational disasters.
If we are going to rescue the community college in any way, that rescue has to start with the development of programs that enable the worker to get more than ten years down the road. Imagine being 40 years old and graduating from a community college with a degree that enables you to enter – but not thrive – in the work force.
Economic mobility is hard to come by
A community college degree offers no persistent value to the holder. The degree allows you to get in, but not stay in the workforce. And it becomes economically unviable just as you turn 50 years old. At 50, are you going back to school to retrain again? That’s why most people see community college as a non-viable educational option.
To be sure, there are some programs that enable the worker to remain gainfully employed for the long-haul. But those programs are few and far between. They don’t define the typical community college experience.
It’s not impossible for community college programs to offer students long-term economic mobility, but most community college administrations are content to do less than the minimum necessary to achieve this state of persistent economic value throughout their program catalogs.
The data don’t lie. The question is, “When are community college administrations going to do something about it?”
Photo Credit: Christopher Hensch, via Flickr
