No education sector is limited to the kinds of credentials they award as schools鈥攆rom K12 districts to four-year colleges and universities鈥攂roaden their efforts to swiftly upskill the emerging and mid-career workforce.
Denver high school students can now earn an associate degree from an accredited technical college when they participate in a registered apprenticeship program and complete transferable general education courses.
Denver Public Schools proclaimed itself as 鈥渢he first pK-12 public education system in Colorado鈥攁nd one if not the very first in the entire United States鈥攖o be able to issue higher education degrees.”
While dual-enrolled high school students can earn an associate degree from a neighboring community college, Denver’s school system is one of the first to offer the degree directly from the district.
鈥淏y removing barriers between high school, college, and career, we鈥檙e reimagining what it means to truly prepare students for the future,” said Denver’s superintendent Alex Marrero.
More from 91看片: Why high school graduates now need perspective on higher ed to enroll
In Arizona, high school students who begin dual-enrollment classes at Yavapai College during their junior year can earn a bachelor’s degree just one year after graduating high school.
The rural community college’s new, three-year bachelor of science degree in business is tailored toward students limited by locale, finances and family and work obligations. The sub-$10,000 degree does not come with any textbook costs or additional hidden fees.
While 25 states authorize community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees, Yavapai is among the first to run a three-year program.
“The workforce is super excited about getting a hold of our students earlier,” Yavapai College President Lisa Rhine says. “They need employees like never before, and it’s聽going to impact the economic vitality of our region in a way that is really important for us.”
Alongside efforts to propel young adults into the workforce, four-year institutions how they can quickly re-skill mid-career adults impacted by AI and other emerging technologies.
Industry certificates, once a staple of community colleges, are now being adopted by some of the nation’s preeminent research universities, including Georgia Tech’s and the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s .
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center identified a in student enrollment in undergraduate certificates from fall 2022 to fall 2024.
Why workforce relevance is skyrocketing for higher ed
The “Silver Tsunami” or “Graying Workforce” are terms used to describe the wave of late Baby Boomers and early Gen X adults aging toward retirement in the mid-2020s. More than 4.1 million Americans will turn 65 over the next two years,聽according to the , a nonprofit focused on protected retirement.
Job opportunities are rising along with retirement rates. Of the 15.2 million jobs predicted to be created through 2031, 85% will require some postsecondary credential, Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.
“Employers have a double whammy going on and they’re having trouble getting entry-level employees,” Rhine says.
Higher education faces from the Trump administration to prove that colleges and universities are providing students with a commensurate ROI by rewarding workforce-relevant credentials.
How your institution can remain competitive
With education sectors beginning to offer more than the traditional credentials they’re known for, institutions must align their offerings with their distinct mission and distinguish themselves through marketing, says Joe Sallustio, vice president of industry engagement at Ellucian.
鈥淔our-year institutions truly believe in the purity of the four-year learning experience, particularly for your student still finding themselves at 18 years old,” he says. “Some community colleges may be more interested in the adult learner who wants to get in, get out and start working faster.”
