June 4, 2025

States invest billions of dollars annually on education and training.

But most of them can’t answer fundamental questions about which education and training programs lead to good jobs, the wages graduates are paid, and how well programs meet employer needs.

As a result, state leaders, employers, educators, individuals, and families often are flying blind when it comes to understanding jobs, wages, and workforce needs.

A new Strada brief outlines foundational steps states should consider taking and shows how a few enhancements to the workforce data states currently are collecting from employers would enable policymakers, individuals, educators, employers, and others to effectively answer these important questions:

• What kind of jobs are people who complete education programs employed in?  
• Where are completers working in the state?  
• What is a typical completer’s hourly wage or salary, and does it enable them to be self-sufficient?  
• To what extent are employers offering internships and apprenticeships?
  
• Which first jobs post-completion lead to career advancement, and which are dead ends?

Americans are asking a lot of questions about the value of education after high school. But if we choose to listen to the voices of prospective students and their families, Strada’s Ruth Watkins writes in a recent commentary, we find they also are providing the answers we need.

“These questions are tough to hear for those of us who consider postsecondary education to be a powerful engine that can propel individuals into sustainable careers and successful lives,” writes Watkins, Strada president of postsecondary education, in a piece that highlights “Rethinking Higher Ed,” a new Roadtrip Nation documentary. “Yet we can embrace this moment as an opportunity to meet an urgent need for easing the pathways through education after high school — and clarifying where they lead.”

When we listen, Watkins notes, we hear that prospective students are seeking:

• Help navigating the complex terrain of education after high school.
• Clear information about how much education after high school actually costs.
• Access to work-based learning experiences.

GRADUATING STRADA SCHOLARS 

This year the Strada HBCU Initiative celebrates its fourth year — a milestone that includes the graduation of many students in that first cohort of Strada Scholars. More than 100 Strada Scholars have graduated so far.

A TALENT-READY REGION 

Join higher education and workforce industry leaders and experts for a Strada-sponsored discussion hosted by the Washington Business Journal about work to build a talent-ready region in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

ENHANCED EMPLOYMENT DATA WEBINAR

Join Strada’s Andrew Hanson, senior director of employer alignment, for a webinar discussion at 3 p.m. ET today about how states are leveraging enhanced employment data to more deeply understand education and employment in their state.