Community college students with an associate degree in the humanities do not have better career outcomes compared to students with a high school diploma. A new pilot program led by Jobs for the Future will help build career readiness into the curriculum.
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Humanities degrees have come under attack in recent years as programs that don’t offer a significant return on investment for graduates who enter the workforce, and while data shows that bachelor’s degrees do pay off, associate degrees in arts It has been shown that it is unlikely to yield significant results.
To better support humanities students at community colleges, Jobs for the Future (JFF), with support from the Jack Joseph Morton Mandel Foundation, is developing a study that integrates career development into the curriculum. program at three community colleges.
The Humanities to Career program promotes students’ lasting skills such as communication, leadership, and critical thinking in a rapidly evolving technological environment, while providing certifications and on-the-job training to increase graduates’ competitiveness. The purpose is to. JFF researchers outlined the launch of this study and how partner institutions are implementing the program in a recently published report.
What it takes: According to data from the National Student Clearinghouse, the largest percentage of learners earning an associate’s degree in the 2022-23 academic year majored in liberal arts and sciences, general studies, or the humanities (approximately 313,600 students).
Students with a bachelor’s degree in the humanities are more likely to get a job than students with only a high school degree, but students with an associate’s degree in the humanities are more likely to be employed than those with only a high school degree. They do not enjoy the same benefits in the labor market compared to students. High school diploma.
Many community colleges assume that the average student who earns a two-year degree in the humanities or liberal arts (HLA) plans to transfer to a four-year program, and this assumption leads to Students are left unprepared if they drop out of education. Approximately 40 percent of associate degree recipients without a bachelor’s degree are HLA majors, and the majority are students of color or low-income students.
How it works: JFF announced the initiative in fall 2023, and the pilot began in early 2024. The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation has allocated a total of $2.7 million to the program, distributing grants of $900,000 in three installments to each participating institution. Community Colleges in Massachusetts, Lorain County Community College in Ohio, and Northern Virginia Community College.
One of the main objectives of the pilot is to define and outline what professional skills are and how the degree program introduces students to and builds on each skill.
Universities can incorporate business and professional qualifications into their HLA courses, incorporate coursework and activities to introduce students to the world of work, establish internships and other work-based learning experiences, and provide faculty with specialized skills. Demonstrate the value of HLA competencies by providing development opportunities and partnering with employers. But what that actually looks like will depend on each campus and its circumstances.
Bunker Hill Community College has an existing framework for career development in first-year courses, but will now include a micro-credentialing program to help students clearly communicate their career capabilities to employers is.
Lorain County Community College is focused on preparing students to transfer to four-year colleges and this spring, HLA Common will introduce students to career exploration, industry certification, and internship preparation. Created a cohort of 30 students in the Curriculum Learning Community. Teachers also receive specialized training to understand the local labor market and its needs.
Northern Virginia Community College established an advisory committee to identify specific career skills to focus on for the project, and then established HLA Career and Lectures, which provide workshops and lectures based on skills needed in the industry. Established the Learning Readiness Institute. HLA students also complete a micro-internship with Parker Dewey as their capstone activity.
Focus on internships
One of the challenges in career preparation for humanities students is the lack of internships specifically targeted at liberal arts students. Inside Higher Ed’s Student Voice survey released in winter 2023 found that 50% of liberal arts and humanities students are required to complete an internship, but a quarter complete no experiential learning at all. got it.
Staff at Old Dominion University in Virginia will help humanities students land paid internships by partnering with employers to provide scholarships to individuals in low-wage or unpaid roles. To do this, we established the Monarch Humanities Internship Academy.
What’s next: JFF evaluates the implementation and results of each pilot to ensure effectiveness, paying particular attention to whether students have developed professional skills, gained work experience, or earned industry qualifications. Judging gender. Each campus has unique characteristics that complicate data analysis and evaluation, but the researchers believe this enriches the overall study results.
In the report, the authors say, “Through three pilot projects…we are improving community college liberal arts and humanities students by simply putting them in a better position to get high-quality jobs and enter their careers.” We are optimistic that we will identify new approaches to postsecondary education and career preparation.” Not only does this provide economic development opportunities, but it also helps employers better understand and value the skills and expertise students gain during the two-year program. ”
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