PSCUS FILL THE CAPACITY GAP FOR STUDENT ACCESS AND SUCCESS
In the past decade, PSCUs invested $5.75 billion to increase capacity and serve more students.
At the same time, public colleges have been containing enrollments due to public-sector caps on funding. California’s Community Colleges turned away 140,000 students in the 2009-10 academic year.
Enrollments in degree-granting PSCUs have soared in the last decade, 2000-2010:
At 4-year degree-granting PSCUs enrollment increased 513%, compared with just 34% at 4-year public schools and 22% at 4-year private nonprofit schools
At 2-year PSCUs enrollment increased 124%, compared with 26% at 2-year public schools, while enrollment decreased 44% at 2-year not-for-profit schools
PSCUs have increased because of the accessibility, convenience and career-focused nature of the curriculum. Students graduate from PSCUs with credentials in high demand fields; and of the projected fastest-growing three occupations requiring postsecondary credentials by 2020, PSCUs award:
75% of those in dental assistance;
37% of those in HVAC; and
8% of those in EMT.
Of the projected five fastest-growing occupations requiring associate’s degrees by 2020, PSCUs award:
51% of those in Veterinary Technology;
33% of those in Cardiovascular Technology;
39% of those in Medical Sonography;
17% of those in Occupational Therapy Assistance; and
12% of those in Dental Hygiene.
If we as a nation are to achieve the projected need for eight to 23 million additional educated workers over the next decade, we need:
15 million new Bachelor’s degrees
4 million new non-degree credentials
1 million new Associate’s degrees
Private sector colleges and universities will have to play a vital role of continuing to provide skills-based educational opportunities, particularly to non-traditional students to fill these different types of job demands.
PSCUs open doors to many of the 13 million unemployed and 90 million underemployed Americans by providing a skills-based education. To remain competitive over the next decade, we must identify between 8 and 23 million new workers with postsecondary skills. PSCUs are a necessary part of that solution, having produced over 800,000 degrees last year alone.
