Educational programs providing students with ways to
acquire practical job skills are often praised as a shorter and cheaper
alternative to traditional college. However, new research has shown that it’s
not quite that simple.
The report The Complex Universe of Alternative Postsecondary Credentials and Pathways,
a study conducted by Ithaka S+R for the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,
found the earning power of the different programs varies widely and depends on
the subject studied. For instance, a person who has a computer-science
certificate can expect to earn twice as someone holding much as a health-care
or cosmetology certificate.
The study also found that certificate programs,
work-based training, and competency-based programs tend to attract older,
lower-income students who have not completed a college degree. At the same
time, 80% of IT bootcamp participants and 75% of those enrolled in massive open
online courses already have a bachelor’s degree.
Researchers found little evidence to determine how
effective the many programs are, along with wide variation in their quality.
They recommend more data be collected and studied on educational and employment
outcomes so better quality-assurance standards can be developed.
“We quickly learned that while there’s some piecemeal
information, there really hasn’t been this kind of landscape review before,”
said Martin Kurzweil, director of the educational transformation program at
Ithaka S+R, the firm that conducted the study. “That’s surprising, because
there’s millions of Americans engaged in this kind of postsecondary education.”
