As the coronavirus pandemic continues and unemployment rises, postsecondary classrooms swell with returning students seeking new job skills, including through non-degree credentials. But how can colleges ensure that these programs actually lead to future educational opportunities and viable careers for diverse students in a time of uncertainty?
On Tuesday, an online panel delved into these questions with a focus on building career pathways with stackable non-degree credentials. It was the final discussion in a series hosted by the National Skills Coalition, an education reform nonprofit, and Education Strategy Group, an education consulting firm.
“With the pandemic, we really have seen a tremendous amount of folks filing for unemployment, looking to be reskilled and really trying to figure out what’s next,” said Brett Visger, the director of Education Strategy Group. “People have signaled there’s tremendous interest in returning to school to gain skills.”
Panelists emphasized that non-degree programs can offer quicker routes to jobs than degree programs for non-traditional students who need to juggle other priorities while in school. The benefit of “stackability,” or programs that students can easily return to for more advanced credentials, is the flexibility it affords.
“Up until the pandemic at least, almost all of our students were working while going to school, taking care of families, putting food on the table, keeping a roof over their heads while they’re going school … ” said Dr. Mark Mitsui, president of Portland Community College. “We had students who needed an educational pathway that led to a great career, would fit their very hectic lives, allowed them to come in and out of college as they moved up, provided wraparound supports as well as cutting-edge training through industry partnerships and connections.”
But there’s work to be done to make sure these programs have equitable outcomes, especially amid a pandemic.
Mitsui pointed out that Black, Latinx and indigenous workers are the most likely to experience income loss during the pandemic, and people with a high school degree or lower make up 56% of unemployment claims, while only comprising about 28% of the workforce.
