I am a product of higher education and my 10 years of postsecondary study have served me well. My college degrees gave me the opportunity to access better jobs and a better lifestyle. The College Plan worked for me, and it continues to help millions of others across the US, Canada, and beyond. What we are learning, however, is that it doesn’t help everyone in the same way. And for some, it doesn’t help at all. Continue reading The Over-Under on Underemployment
By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute Please listen to our podcast version of The Swail Letter. It’s fun. Fear seems to be ruling the world right now, especially within the United States. The population has bought into fear-mongering, 85 years after Franklin Delano Roosevelt uttered this phrase: “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the … Continue reading The Only Thing We Have to Fear…
By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute An article posted yesterday in MarketWatch trumpeted that 9 out of 10 new jobs are going to those with a college degree. The article uses data from Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce. It is important to note that these data—while accurate—are also cherry picked from a very specific time period that overemphasizes … Continue reading Beware the Rhetoric About the Over Importance of a BA
By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute A new report released yesterday by the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) reported that undergraduate enrollments were down 1.3 percent from the previous year, equivalent to 231,674 students from the previous spring. The biggest losses were in the two-year public sector, which accounted for over half of the losses (53 percent; 107,393), and the four-year, … Continue reading Declining Enrollments? Not Such a Big Deal
by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist, Educational Policy Institute I’ve long made the connection between the relatively lack of connection between a college degree and the workforce in terms of skill sets. Sure, many of the skills developed in college are hugely beneficial in the private and public sectors. No argument. But for them to have impact, one must have an … Continue reading Matching Skills, Credentials, and Jobs
