WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Following today’s White House announcement of a fund to train two million workers for high-demand industries, Coalition for Educational Success Managing Director Penny Lee released the following statement:
“Career colleges applaud the Administration’s efforts to fund additional workforce training, but we encourage them to work on widening the impact of this career training fund by partnering with all institutions of higher education.
“The nation’s focus on economic recovery continues to highlight the importance of higher education in filling available jobs in growing industries. Through innovative and creative training programs, career colleges work hard to prepare ‘job ready’ graduates at a low cost to taxpayers.
“Today’s announcement by the President is in line with the December 2011 President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness recommendation for the forming of ‘partnerships between businesses and educational institutions that ensure that postsecondary education/training for students and workers meets the demands of the labor market.’ The Council did not recommend limiting these partnerships to one sector of higher education, and we firmly believe that no stone should be left unturned in the search to find solutions to meet the needs of the job market.
“When it comes to the issue of cost, career colleges offer competitive, if not lower, program costs and tuition when compared to other types of higher education institutions. For example, it costs taxpayers more than $32,000 for each community college graduate, over four times the amount it costs taxpayers for a career college graduate. Total taxpayer cost for a two-year career college graduate is $7,326, compared to $32,873 for a community college graduate. Career colleges also return taxpayer money in the form of millions of dollars in taxes every year.
“Career colleges have more students enrolled in high-growth fields (44%) than public institutions (18%) and private, not-for-profit institutions (13%); career college graduates represent 33% of health degrees and certificates conferred at two-year-and-less institutions and the career college sector boasts a higher graduation rate than community colleges (58% versus 20%).
“Leading career colleges have collaborated with industry experts over the past year and half to address concerns, including the skills gap, student readiness, financial aid, loan debt and program outcomes. We are committed, in all efforts, to offering good ideas to local, state and federal regulators and policymakers on how to make higher education and job training better.”
Coalition for Educational Success
The Coalition for Educational Success includes many of the nation's leading career colleges. Career colleges provide training for students in 17 of the 20 fastest growing fields. The Coalition advocates for policies that support wider access to higher education, particularly for non-traditional students including full-time workers, workforce returners, working parents, minorities and veterans.