Report Career Technical Education in Health: An Overview of Student Success at California’s Community Colleges By Shannon McConville, Sarah Bohn, Landon Gibson Dec 1, 2016 Health programs at California’s community colleges attract a large and diverse set of students and are linked to growing job opportunities in a generally well-paying industry for Californians with less than a bachelor’s degree. Many community college students who have earned career tech credentials in health care over the past decade have seen sizeable wage gains. Efforts to increase completion rates and close achievement gaps can expand access to health careers while helping the state meet its workforce needs. This research was supported with funding from the Sutton Family Fund.
Report Health Training Pathways at California’s Community Colleges By Shannon McConville, Sarah Bohn, Landon Gibson Dec 1, 2016 State and federal policymakers looking to improve economic mobility and meet workforce needs have renewed their focus on career technical education. Health training is of particular interest—California’s community colleges offer a range of health programs and credentials and demand is growing for health workers with some college training. Students who earn shorter-term health credentials tend to see relatively low wage gains, and relatively few return to school to pursue higher-level training. Targeted outreach and support could help more students move along pathways to higher earnings. This research was supported with funding from the ECMC Foundation and the Sutton Family Fund.
press release Career Tech Credentials in Health at Community Colleges Yield Sizeable Gains Nov 30, 2016
Report Preparing Students for Success in California’s Community Colleges By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Olga Rodriguez Nov 9, 2016 Community colleges identify 80 percent of incoming students as underprepared for college-level work. Fewer than half of these students advance to and succeed in a college course (44% in English and 27% in math). Concerns about poor outcomes have led to institutional reforms. This research was supported with funding from The Sutton Family Fund.
blog post Testimony: Closing California’s Degree Gap By Hans Johnson Mar 3, 2016 The most promising approach to closing the workforce skills gap is to concentrate on improving the educational attainment of California residents.
Report Will California Run Out of College Graduates? By Hans Johnson, Sarah Bohn, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Oct 12, 2015 California’s higher education system is a critical driver of the state’s economic progress. As the state’s economy continues to change, will its workforce be ready for the jobs of tomorrow? This report updates and extends projections of California’s workforce skills through 2030, focusing on the supply and demand for workers with a bachelor’s degree. We find that the state will fall about 1.1 million college graduates short of economic demand if current trends persist—a problem we call the workforce skills gap. Even the arrival of highly educated workers from elsewhere is unlikely to be large enough to fill this gap. Today’s college graduates have better economic outcomes than those who do not hold a bachelor’s degree. Over time, college graduates have seen lower rates of unemployment and higher wages than other workers—even through the Great Recession—suggesting that college degrees have become increasingly valuable in California’s labor market. The future workforce skills gap looms large. But California and its higher education institutions can take several practical steps to close it. The core of a new plan for higher education should include increasing access to the state’s four-year institutions, improving college completion rates, expanding transfer pathways from community colleges, and being smart about aid programs.
Report California’s Health Workforce Needs: Training Allied Workers By Shannon McConville, Sarah Bohn, Laurel Beck Sep 18, 2014 Over the next decade, California’s growing and aging population will require about 450,000 new health care workers. Given the importance of associate degrees and postsecondary certificates in growing health care occupations—and the need for a diversified health workforce—the state needs to ensure that its two-year institutions are preparing technical and support workers for rewarding careers.
Report California’s Need for Skilled Workers By Sarah Bohn Sep 17, 2014 If recent trends continue, California is likely to face a shortage of workers with some college education but less than a bachelor’s degree by 2025. State and federal policymakers have increased their focus on boosting educational opportunities for this segment of the workforce. This report examines labor market outcomes among workers with some college training to shed light on the types of jobs that hold the most promise for future workers and the state economy.
blog post Evaluating Student Success at the City College of San Francisco By Hans Johnson Mar 3, 2014 By most measures, San Francisco City College fares well relative to other community colleges in California.
