CORRECTION: About 180,000 West Virginians have completed some college, but received no credential. An earlier version of this report incorrectly stated these students had dropped out of college in the last year. (1:34 p.m. MDT, Nov. 11, 2024)
The West Virginia Education Policy Commission said its new initiative will help more residents with some college education but no degree earn certificates, opening the door to new career pathways and aid employers seeking qualified workers.
Beez Schell, academic officer for the commission, reported more than 500,000 West Virginia residents have a high school degree and more than 200,000 have completed college courses but do not have a degree. She said the Credential WV initiative is aimed at those people.
"We have a very high rate of high school graduations and then they get into college and they leave," Schell observed. "We know that there's been learning taking place at that time, and so what we want to do is to recognize that."
According to the Education Data Initiative, nearly 180,000 Mountain State students have completed some college, but received no credential. Nationwide, an estimated 36 million people have completed college courses or training, but did not obtain a degree.
Schell pointed out health care and other fields are good options for stacked credentials.
"Some other opportunities are around phlebotomy, pharmacy technician, medical coding and billing, certified nurse aide," Schell outlined.
She noted microcredientals can be a tool to help people continue to pursue a higher-education path, one step at a time.
"The more success that you build in, the more the student or the learner is going to hang in there for just maybe one more step and one more step," Schell explained. "That bachelor's degree definitely makes a difference."
The number of certificate or microcrediental earners younger than age 18 jumped by 18.8% in 2022-2023 compared with the prior year, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.
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Arizona universities are figuring out how to comply with President Donald Trump's order to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs - otherwise known as DEI - to avoid federal funding cuts.
While some schools have canceled all gatherings for race-related student groups, others are choosing to call them celebrations or award ceremonies.
Brooklyn Clayton, representing fellow students as a senator for the Associated Students of Northern Arizona University, said her school has a reputation of being a "liberal, diverse, and accepting institution."
She said student groups are a key part of that.
"I have started going to NAU's Black Student Union this year and I have found a lot of very good friends there," said Clayton, "because they understand what it is like to be Black in a predominantly white institution. And they know the stress that it takes to navigate that."
The Trump administration believes there is legal precedent to cut race-related programs.
A letter sent by the Department of Education to universities says "education institutions may neither separate or segregate students...nor distribute benefits or burdens based on race."
Clayton added that DEI programs don't promote favoritism, and are only meant to give people an equal voice.
"DEI initiatives, they're not giving higher priority to Brown or Black students, to queer students," said Clayton. "They're giving them an equal seat at the table - so that you have an actual voice from everyone, instead of just the people that can afford to be there."
Clayton said she's also convinced universities that don't prioritize representation for non-white students will pay the price.
"I think it will deter a lot of people from going to universities that don't support that," said Clayton, "and I think they're going to see less retention rates and less enrollment rates."
She said university administrators should represent all students - instead of caving to political pressure.
Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.
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Minnesota's unemployment rate is low, but the state still faces a skilled labor shortage. A regional college hopes to be a solution as it looks to break ground on a new training center for in-demand jobs.
Data show Minnesota has a job vacancy rate of more than 5%, above the desired goal of around 4%, with the older population leaving the workforce.
At White Earth Tribal and Community College, school President Anna Sheppard said not having a big enough talent pool for certain types of jobs is a problem in her part of the state.
"We've had to wait for electricians to come in, just to do work here," she said, "just because there's not many in this area."
The school is planning a trades building on campus to develop the next generation of plumbers, electricians and other skilled workers. It could also benefit White Earth's plan to expand its renewable-energy programming for students. The project's cost is $15 million. Supporters hope the state will chip in, but a tighter spending mood in the Legislature, along with the impact of federal cuts, could make that difficult.
White Earth Student Senate president Deidra Berg said she sees this planned building as a way to keep Indigenous students, post-graduation, in surrounding communities that struggle with limited wages and a lack of resources.
"We are a 'food desert' area, and so that's a really big issue here," she said. "We'd like to be able to offer our people, our students, the tools to get their education here and hopefully, stay close to home and build our community up."
The organization Fresh Energy said training students for projects such as solar power development can help local economies get stronger. Campus officials say they've already secured land for the trades building, and the architectural renderings are complete. If state aid is slow, White Earth will try to line up grants and other support. Training could begin as early as fall 2027.
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Colorado educators are hoping that a successful accelerated degree program known as ASAP, grown at City University of New York, will take root in two of the state's rural community colleges.
Yesenia Silve, chief of staff of Estrada with Colorado Mountain College, said the program offers financial support that's not limited to tuition, books and fees that can help students in Summit County facing unique challenges cross the finish line.
"The ASAP model looks at other barriers such as the high cost of living, or child care or transportation - which in our rural communities, the cost of transporting from point A to point B looks very different," she explained.
Before ASAP, just 13% of participating students in New York completed degrees. Today, four in ten graduate. Just a third of Colorado community college students graduate within three years, according to Chalkbeat Colorado, which is slightly above the national graduation rate of 29%.
Colorado is investing $10 million over four years on ASAP at Colorado Mountain and Lamar community colleges, along with other workforce development initiatives. The program is also seeking matching funding from private sources.
Estrada said securing a degree starts by connecting students with counselors to identify the right career, and the academic path to get there.
"Advising them on what are some of their career goals that eventually will lead to a good job in their community. The goal here is to have students complete their associate's degree in three years or less," she added.
Counselors will also monitor grades and attendance to help students get tutoring and other supports to help them stay the course. Estrada said completing a degree or credential beyond high school is key for launching a career that pays a living wage. Nearly 75% of all jobs in Colorado, and 95% of top-earning jobs, require a credential or degree.
"Institutions like Colorado Mountain College are fully dedicated to revitalizing our rural communities, connecting this homegrown talent to the good jobs in rural communities," she continued.
Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.
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