Community College Transfers Are Key to State's Future
April 3, 2018
by Gary Toebben
In today’s increasingly competitive economy, every projection shows that California is not on track to produce the skilled workforce we need to fulfill future economic demands. By 2020, 65 percent of all jobs in the U.S. will require some level of postsecondary education and training. The Public Policy Institute (PPIC) estimates that California will face a shortage of 1.1 million workers with a bachelor’s degree by 2030.
Over the past century, California built the largest public higher education system in the U.S. and the world - 114 Community Colleges, 23 CSUs and 10 UCs. Inherent in this design is an efficient and effective means of transferring students from our community colleges to California’s four-year public and private universities. In recent testimony before the state Senate Select Committee on Student Success, PPIC’s Hans Johnson reported that California ranks nearly last in enrolling first time freshmen into four-year universities - 47th, but near the top - 5th in freshmen enrolling in community colleges.
Our system works at its very best when community college students, who wish to continue their education, are able to successfully transfer and complete their bachelor’s degree. Legislation and new processes have yielded progress in the past several years but we must do more. According to PPIC, only 40 percent of recent high school graduates attending a community college will transfer to a four-year university. For those who wish to transfer, it is imperative that we further streamline the pathways between our two-year and four-year institutions.
We must also increase the overall investment in our higher education systems to ensure that eligible Californians are not turned away at the door. Our colleges and universities have demonstrated that they are the gateway to opportunity and their graduates fuel the economic engines of our state. Investing in their capacity yields dividends for employers and future generations - a smart investment we can all get behind.
And that's The Business Perspective.
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