Co-authored by Rachel Hirsch, Vice President of Public Partnerships, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)
Over 6 million adult learners (students aged 25 or older) are expected to return to school in the fall of 2024 to complete postsecondary credentials that will enable them to access higher-quality jobs and greater economic mobility. Education and training opportunities beyond high school are critically important, given that an estimated 55 percent of jobs in the US will require a postsecondary degree by 2031.
With historic federal investments in workforce development, it is crucial that everyone has access to the training they need today to participate in tomorrow’s workforce, whether that be 2- or 4-year degrees or industry-recognized credentials. However, the current postsecondary education system doesn’t always deliver results for workers – there are more than 36 million Americans who attended college, but never finished a degree. Residents need access to training that aligns with local, high-quality jobs and strong support to ensure that they can successfully attain credentials. Cities across the country can play a few roles in ensuring that all residents have access to the training they need to thrive.
Ways Cities Can Support Residents to Complete Postsecondary Credentials
Cities are playing important roles in supporting their residents to attain credentials that enable them to enter high-quality careers. Here are three roles cities can play:
1. Connecting Students to Resources
Cities have rich ecosystems of education, training and workforce stakeholders. Local leaders are well-positioned to bring together residents interested in training opportunities and relevant stakeholders to ensure that available opportunities and the ecosystem of supports are serving residents well.
Additionally, adult students have different needs than students participating in postsecondary education immediately after high school. Often, adults need greater access to services such as child care, housing and transportation supports. Cities can be a great connector by facilitating partnerships between education/training and community-based service providers to ensure that students have access to key services to be able to focus on their education.
Even when services are available, navigating those services can be a significant barrier as people work to balance the demands of their education, jobs, and families. Local leaders can invest in and uplift community-based service providers and campus-based staff to help students navigate and access services. This can include partnering with local libraries, prisons or jails, food banks, faith-based organizations and other stakeholders that may not otherwise have the capacity to forge these important connections.
2. Strategically Aligning Employers and Postsecondary Institutions
Education and training programs can fall behind or be mismatched to changing labor demands. Cities can play a critical role in serving as an analyst or leveraging tools (such as Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems) and partnerships (with postsecondary partners, workforce development boards, and/or Chambers of Commerce) to conduct ongoing analysis to ensure that training programs strategically align with their changing local job market and that there is a strong understanding of the barriers their residents face to enrolling and completing credentials. Greater partnership between employers and postsecondary institutions can help adults gain credit for prior learning for completed industry-recognized credentials and training which they can apply to their degree programs.
3. Modeling Strong Workforce Practices
Does your city offer opportunities for municipal employees to participate in continued education and training programs? Cities are often among the largest employers in their communities and can influence the quality of jobs across the region by modeling strong workforce practices, such as reassessing degree requirements to lower barriers to municipal jobs while also providing access to education and training for career advancement. Access to education and training is just one of many factors that define high quality jobs. Cities can support their employees in returning to postsecondary education through financial or other benefits (such as flexible scheduling) and adopt quality workforce development models (such as apprenticeship) to onboard and upskill employees.
“The City of LaBelle fosters a welcoming and community-oriented environment, setting a standard as a model employer through exemplary behavior. We work with a wide variety of partners to evolve and enhance our workplace and invest in our workforce by providing staff with opportunities for skill development, continuous education, and professional advancement.”
Mayor Julie Wilkins of LaBelle, Florida
No matter the time of year, now is always the right time to reflect on how your city supports adults interested in seeking education and training to advance in their careers.
Connecting Adults to Postsecondary and Workforce Success
Interested in exploring how your city can support adults? Learn more about NLC’s Connecting Adults to Postsecondary and Workforce Success initiative, a partnership with CAEL (the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning).
About the Author
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