THROUGH EDUCATION. TO OPPORTUNITY.  |  march 13, 2024

In San Antonio, a certificate broadens the job prospects for students in traditional liberal arts fields.

In Arlington, Texas, another certificate allows art students to demonstrate mastery of design software.

And in Austin, a skills badge helps bioscience students demonstrate to employers that they know their way around a research lab.

The University of Texas System is committed to embedding microcredentials within degree programs on its nine campuses — including a partnership with Coursera that makes online professional training available to hundreds of thousands of UT students, faculty, staff, and alumni. 

Backed by grants from the Strada Beyond Completion Challenge, Texas Credentials for the Future helps individuals and campuses customize how they close the gap between the skills employers need and what students learn in a degree program.

ONLINE RESOURCE CENTER

A new state policy resource library, including state-by-state fact sheets quantifying the effect of postsecondary attainment on state economic gains and issue briefs focused on state financial aid policy, is now available on the National College Attainment Network website. Read more.

COLLEGE GRAD UNDEREMPLOYMENT

New research from Strada and The Burning Glass Institute shows 52 percent of recent graduates are underemployed one year after earning a bachelor’s degree. But rather than supporting rampant hostility toward college, these findings show how higher ed reforms can help more graduates earn a college-level job, Michael T. Nietzel writes for Washington Monthly. Read more.

IMPROVING INTERNSHIP QUALITY

“Internships are a critical ingredient in the college ROI equation,” writes the Christensen Institute’s Julia Freeland Fisher, who describes how to tackle internship gaps with an eye on quality, equity, and innovation. Read more.

CONVENING: Strada brought together its Beyond Completion Challenge partners — The University of Texas System, Rio Salado College, Arizona State University, and the University of Utah — for two days of learning from one another.

WEBINAR: Leaders and researchers from Strada and The Burning Glass Institute discussed their “Talent Disrupted” report.

RSVP: Join us for a reception and panel discussion April 2 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., where we will present the State Opportunity Index, a new framework for helping students achieve their career and economic goals.