Human Services News

From Center for Law and Social Policy:

The paper examines state policy and system improvements that would enhance the ability of workers to gain skills to advance to better jobs and the ability of employers to find skilled workers. These improvements include increasing access to postsecondary education and training; enabling current students to succeed and complete marketable credentials; increasing transitions between literacy, language, and postsecondary education and training programs; incorporating employer demand and state economic priorities in educational planning; expanding the capacity of postsecondary institutions; and measuring program results.

This report is the third in a series: the first report, "Career Pathways: Aligning Public Resources to Support Individual and Regional Economic Advancement in the Knowledge Economy," introduces the series with a definition of career pathways and the economic justification for the approach.

The second report, "The Career Pathways How-to Guide" seeks to provide step-by-step instructions for local practitioners working to develop career pathways.

The balance of this paper examines policy and system improvements that state policymakers can make to enhance outcomes for students in the educational pipeline, and thus increase the supply of knowledge workers.

Low income adult students receive less overall financial assistance and fewer grants than traditional-age students, although those who take out loans borrow more on average than traditional-age students. Yet the majority of state financial aid policies are also not well suited for adult workers: one report found that in the 1999--2000 academic year, only 19 percent of adult undergraduates received any state grant aid. This same study found that adults at community colleges were the least likely to apply for aid and when they did, received the smallest amount of any group of students.

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