In an effort to close the degree attainment gap among adults aged 25-64 in California, the organization California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy has outlined five strategies that they believe will create better pathways for adults to earn their college degree and simultaneously fuel the state’s economy.
The recommendations are included in a new report released Wednesday titled “Back to College Part Two: A Policy Prescription to Support Adults Returning to College.” It is the second in a two-part series that proposes policy recommendations to help this group of adults attain degree completion so they can achieve social and economic mobility and succeed in California’s economy.
In part one, California Competes found that four million, or 20 percent of adults living in California between the ages of 25-64 have stopped their degree program due to financial barriers, personal obligations and institutional roadblocks.
The five policy recommendations detailed in the second report suggest that California should launch a grant program for its colleges and universities to assess, consolidate and streamline existing support services for adult students.
Although California has a strong base for providing support services to adult students, over 80 percent of California’s colleges and universities have a campus child care center, the report found.
Other recommendations include providing adult students with schedule flexibility, cohort-based course assistance, childcare and transportation services would help increase the percentage of adults returning to college to finish their degree.
The report also recommended that California launch a temporary award program through the Employment Training Panel (ETP) that supports upskilling, specifically for adults with some college but no degree, through training that connects postsecondary education degrees to high-demand, high-wage careers. In addition, it recommended that California expand the financial aid eligibility requirements for adults transferring from a two- to a four-year college or university. Eliminating the age requirement to qualify for transfer entitlement Cal Grants, which is currently set to no older than 28 would help adult students over that age benefit from that financial assistance.
