Today’s rapidly changing economy plays a large role in why anyone decides to go to college, regardless of age. Competitive global markets and technological advances have created a reality where a high school diploma alone isn’t enough to obtain a family-supporting career. Sixty-five percent of jobs will require some form of postsecondary education by 2020, so it’s imperative for adults, particularly for non-credentialed adults, to complete postsecondary pathways that ensure they won’t be left behind.
We should continue to celebrate all those who have decided to pursue an educational pathway that will land them a job that pays livable wages. But, we should also encourage the individuals who aren’t on a postsecondary pathway to identify and access the options available to them.
So, how can our nation’s leaders and policymakers celebrate the adults who choose to pursue postsecondary pathways? For starters, they can recognize adult learners as a growing population within our nation’s colleges and universities. They also can enact policies and practices that meet the complex needs of today’s students. In line with many of the strategies embedded in JFF’s Accelerating Opportunity initiative, proven practices for assisting adult learners include:
- Flexible course offerings, including non-semester-based scheduling
- Co-enrollment in both basic education and for-credit courses for academically underprepared adults
- Supportive services, both academic and nonacademic
- Flexible financial aid offerings for low-income individuals
- Alignment between postsecondary pathways and labor market needs, including contextualized learning
- Access to prior learning assessments that allow adults learners to receive credit towards a degree or certificate for successfully demonstrating the skills and knowledge they developed in past education and workforce settings
- Access to high-quality acceleration strategies and competency-based education programs that allow learners to move ahead based on what they know and can do rather than the time they spend in the class