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Its early October, and I am laboring under the burden of a massive tomato harvest. I have given so many away to my neighbors that they now run away when they see me coming - at least that’s what I tell myself. In an effort to use up more of the fruit this week, I made tomato jam for the first time. And my goodness is it delicious. I have to stop myself from eating it with a spoon. But besides creating and vacuuming up tomato jam, what did I read this week?
Can’t live on a certificate
Earlier this week, I wrote a post expressing some frustrations about the literature on microcredentials. Right on cue, a report landed in my inbox that provided some valuable insights: Making Every Rung of the Credential Ladder Count: Understanding How Community College Certificates Can Meet Learner Expectations for Economic Mobility by Education Equity Solutions. The report is based on in-depth interviews with 100 students who earned certificates in manufacturing-related programs, as well as with college administrators and employers who hired these students. It identified two key problems with these programs.
There was often a mismatch between the expectations of students earning the certificates and the types of jobs they were able to secure with those qualifications.
There were significant issues with the stackability of the certificates.
These two problems are interconnected.
The mismatch arose because students generally believed that the microcredentials would help them land quality jobs. However, the jobs many were able to get were entry-level positions that came with several disadvantages:
They did not pay a living wage.
They often involved physically demanding and sometimes dangerous work.
They offered few opportunities for advancement.
There were microcredentials that did lead to quality jobs offering a living wage, further training, and opportunities for growth, but these programs were usually longer, lasting around nine months. Some college administrators reported feeling pressure to shorten the duration of these programs, despite long wait lists of students eager to enroll. This pressure came from both institutional leaders and state authorities.