Converting short-term coursetakers to graduates

Data to better support adult learners

and grow enrollments as part of institutional reform efforts

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Kathy Booth, WestEd

Cynthia Proctor, SUNY

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bit.ly/skills-builder-research-ncii

This presentation features research conducted by Peter Riley Bahr, University of Michigan

Skills builders are community college students who…

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• Enroll in community college for a short time (often 1 to 2 semesters)
• Take comparatively few credits, usually attending part-time
• Take classes mostly in career and technical fields
• Are highly successful in their coursework

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Are you familiar with skills builders?

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Chat your answer from this list:

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• This is a new concept to me
• I’ve heard my colleagues describe skills builders
• I have been a skills builder
• My college has identified skills builders as a specific population to serve

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What have we learned about skills builders?

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• They account for about 1-in-7 to 1-in-9 new community college entrants
• They are older, on average, than the overall student population
• They are disproportionately (but not exclusively) white men
• A sizeable minority have prior college experience
• They usually leave college without a credential and without transferring to a four-year institution
• On average, they reap meaningful earnings gains from their short time in college

Why focus on skills builders?

• Current students: Skills builders are already successfully navigating enrollment at your college
• Future students: Colleges may not be clearly articulating skills building course sequences or their economic value, which means that some potential students may not know about these opportunities, which could provide a source of enrollment as high school age populations decline
• More enrollments and completions: By examining how skills builder course-taking relates to existing or planned certificates and degrees, colleges can identify on-ramps to longer programs or opportunities for upskilling

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Why focus on skills builders?

• Earnings: Securing a living wage job requires higher levels of educational attainment
• Opportunity: There are many more living wage job choices and job openings for people who earn bachelor’s degrees
• Equity: Older students are less likely to complete an award than younger students, particularly bachelor’s degrees, and communities of color are overrepresented at lower educational attainment levels
• Clarity about labor market information: Mapping discrete skillsets against both program offerings and labor market demand can help clarify ways to better prepare students for work while also focusing employer engagement

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Researching Skills Builders

Background

• Information in this presentation was compiled through projects underwritten by ECMC Foundation and Ascendium
• Our goal is to understand how…
• adult students are leveraging short-term course-taking opportunities to improve their earnings, 
• who is benefitting from this type of training, 
• how outcomes vary by course sequence, and 
• how skills builder course sequences relate to credential and stackable credential pathways
• Research was conducted by the University of Michigan, using student-level college and employment information from California, Colorado, Michigan, and Ohio

Across four different states, there are clear examples of positive earnings gains for skills builders

Aggregate earnings mask many different course combinations

Different course combinations have markedly different economic returns

Middle economic rung = able to sustain a family of four with two incomes

High economic rung = able to sustain a family of four with one income

Analysis based on students who entered college between Summer 2007-Spring 2014 and includes earnings data through Spring 2019.

More money in their pocket

Skills builder course sequences often support economic gains, but many do not advance students from poverty to living wages�

Average earnings rounded to the nearest $1,000. Figures show differences by comparing earnings immediately after exit and three years later.

$18,000 more

per

year

$11,000

more per year

$7,000 more per year

$4,000 less per year

Examples of course combinations with different economic returns

Skills builder course-taking occurs in many disciplines

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The disciplines in which students achieve economic gains from skills builder course-taking varies considerably by college. Analyses of specific course combinations and the types of students taking those courses can help pinpoint outreach and curricular improvements.

Number of students and economic gains by discipline

Skills builder course-taking provides some economic gains, but better gains are found with longer sequences

Students who moved up an economic rung took more courses than those who got more money in their pockets or who had additional earnings

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Applying Skills Builder Research

Questions

• What more would you like to know about the skills builder analysis?

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• What insights do you have to share about serving skills builders?

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• How does this research apply to your college?

By integrating skills builders into guided pathways, colleges can help to bridge general education and career education frameworks

skills builders can be recruited to longer term programs as an onramp

graduates can be recruited for upskilling and reskilling

Example: Automotive to Engineering Pathway

Skills builders could be informed about progress they already have made toward a certificate

• Skills builder courses:

Two course sequence in Automotive Engineering Technology

• Skills builders earned $10,000 more
• Short term certificate

The two skills builder courses align with an Automotive Engineering Technology certificate that has a total of six courses

• Completers earned $23,000 more
• Stackable options:
• Another short-term certificate in Automotive Engineering Technology
• Associate's degree in Engineering Technology
• Associate's degree in Automotive Engineering Technology
• Associate's degree in Construction Engineering Technology

Completers could be informed about opportunities for upskilling sequences

• By identifying skills needed for high-demand jobs and consulting with employers, colleges can construct course sequences that enhance the skills taught in certificate and degree programs, particularly in the liberal arts
• Program maps can include skills builder course options that help with career advancement after completion
• Colleges can grow enrollment by reaching out to both two-year and four-year institution graduates and suggesting specific courses to take qualify for in-demand jobs -- either at community colleges or universities (like SUNY)

SUNY’s Policy Driven Approach

Today: 500+ Microcredentials in 60+ Disciplinary Areas Across 36 of 64 Campuses

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Challenges:

Infrastructure for data collection and reporting

Cost, NYS Part-Time TAP in development

Silos between academic affairs and continuing education

Multi-audience messaging and marketing

cynthia.proctor@suny.edu · www.suny.edu/microcredentials

Stackability to the: certificate, associate, bachelors, master’s, advanced certificate, PhD, DDS, PharmD, OD and MD

Possible next steps

• Use this guide to identify skills builder courses and who is attending them at your institution: bit.ly/skills-builder-research-guide

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• In February, read a guide that summarizes the research, with rich descriptive profiles of skills builders and course sequences, plus tips for how to use skills builder data to improve outcomes for adult students

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• In February, apply for 8 hours of technical assistance from WestEd and NCII to develop a skills builder plan (contact kbooth@wested.org for details)