The Future of Career Education Colleges and Universities

Association rebranded with name worthy of the mission and dedication to preparing America’s workers for America’s future
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Washington, DC – June 6, 2016 - The combination of a new high-technology work place and a generational transition of workers requires a career education sector focused on preparing new professionals.  Today, in a vote of its membership at its 2016 Annual Convention, the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities formally unveiled a new name: Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) and a new mission statement.
This evolution is driven in part by the fact that:

• In the past five years, the sector has produced almost two million occupation-based academic awards and increased certificates by 63%
• Employer demand for occupation focused credentials will more than double over the next decade
• The sector’s skill in serving adult learners will only increase:
  • By 2022, 42% of all postsecondary students will be 25 or older
  • Representing a 20% increase in students age 25 -34 and a 23% increase in students 35 and older
• The sector’s service to part-time students will only increase:
  • A 16% increase in part-time students by 2022

A new association, exclusively committed to postsecondary career education regardless of an institution’s corporate structure seeks to represent institutions and students engaged in this journey. All institutions in higher education will be able to join the newly named CECU. To accommodate the change, the bylaws of the association have been changed to read:

Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) supports the work of our members in providing access, opportunity and quality education to students seeking new or enhanced career skills.  The Association shall engage in advocacy, communications, professional development and research that advance the work of this sector.

“These changes are bold and strategic. Our new organization, Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU), seeks to represent, and serve, any postsecondary college or university engaged in career education regardless of structure.  Our membership, on behalf of the sector, is committing to producing millions of trained career professionals in the decade ahead. Using precise research, we will work with individual institutions to create their commitment - occupation credential by occupation credential. The combination of emerging workplace skill demands with the transition of a workforce due to retirements is increasing the gap between employer demands and workforce readiness – we stand ready to do our part for America’s economic future, one student at a time,” said Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of CECU. “Our sector and our Association will be even more focused on career education and the necessary work in government relations, leadership, research, and communications - we will be the voice and vision of postsecondary career education.”