Creating Credentials of Value: Lessons from Community Colleges That Excel at Workforce Training
How do we prepare learners for high-wage, high-demand careers? Answering this question is more important than ever, given stagnating earnings and declining labor force participation among workers without bachelor’s degrees.
With more than one thousand community and technical colleges across the United States, these institutions are uniquely positioned to prepare millions of students for careers in high-demand occupations. Yet their records of success are mixed. Fewer than one third of community college students earn a credential, and those who do beat these odds often struggle to secure employment in high-wage jobs.
Research on community college student outcomes has traditionally focused on why so few students complete degrees and on the effectiveness of interventions designed to address low completion rates. We know much less about the practices colleges use to help students earn credentials and, specifically, credentials that translate into labor market value. In this study, credentials of value are defined as those associated with annual earnings of at least $45,000 to $50,000.
Identifying the Practices of Successful Community Colleges
The Creating Credentials of Value in Community Colleges series is a first step toward understanding the characteristics and practices of community colleges that appear to be relatively successful at producing workforce credentials of value.
In partnership with Harvard University’s Reimagining the Economy, the Smith Richardson Foundation, and the AIR Opportunity Fund, AIR used national datasets to identify colleges with comparatively strong outcomes. Drawing on quantitative analyses and qualitative interviews with leaders at 25 community colleges, the study explores the institutional characteristics, contextual factors, and practices that may contribute to their success.
Findings from the study are presented in two reports:
- Creating Credentials of Value in Community Colleges: Lessons from High-Performing Colleges; and
- Creating Credentials of Value in Community Colleges: Correlates of High Performance.
We also offer two companion briefs with recommendations for policymakers and college leaders.
