Tomorrow, a joint hearing on higher education and finance in the State Assembly will evaluate the college degree gap that must be addressed to expand California’s economy and bring equitable opportunity to its communities. California Competes Executive Director Lande Ajose will testify on the status of our higher education system and solutions to close the looming degree gap.
Listen to the hearing here or attend in person. The Joint Hearing on Higher Education and Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance will take place tomorrow, February 6, at 9:30am in the State Capitol, Room 437.
Change to our higher education system is long overdue and necessary to close the degree gap and ensure a prosperous future for all Californians.
The top ten largest occupations that will require a degree in 2025 encompass a wide array of fields. Statewide, degree production needs to align with occupational demands. California Competes’ analysis shows that by 2025, the state will need to triple the number of degrees that it is on track to produce to meet workforce demands.
Dr. Ajose’s remarks tomorrow will speak to the critical elements required of any model designed to effectively increase state degree attainment, including these key priorities:
- Degree goals. Many universities have enrollment goals each year that are easily measured and controllable; however, there also needs to be established degree attainment goals to ensure clear and result-oriented outcomes. If we are to close the degree gap in a responsible and meaningful way, we must seriously consider finely-calibrated degree outcomes.
- Degree needs. Statewide, degrees should align with regional workforce demands. We must also ensure that the infrastructure is in place to enable institutions to produce degrees that will offer long-term opportunity to students and respond to the changing needs of the state’s economy.
- Degree equity. Closing the degree gap is not possible without addressing the degree completion disparity among Californians. For example, educational attainment across the state varies regionally from as high as 54% of adults with at least an associate’s degree to as low as 25% of adults with at least an associate’s degree. The state’s strategy for increasing degree completion for traditionally underrepresented students must be informed by regional disparities.
