How California's only fully online community college is building the employment and earnings evidence its model needs.
Non-degree credentials are growing year after year. Whether they're paying off is a harder question to answer. Certificate enrollment at community colleges recently grew more than 12% year over year, making non-degree programs the fastest-growing corner of higher education. But popularity isn't proof — and few credential issuers have the data to show stakeholders what their programs are actually worth.
For credential issuers serious about demonstrating program value, career mobility — new roles, new industries, measurable wage growth — is the metric that actually reflects whether a credential delivered on its promise.
To ensure short-term credentials deliver real economic mobility, the higher ed ecosystem must move beyond expanding access and rely on quality outcomes data to prove program value.
The conversation at SXSW EDU highlights how three organizations with three different data journeys are all working toward the same goal: real economic mobility for their learners.
How earnings data uncovered a 33% wage gap between two programs — and changed the path for every student.
