Lumina Foundation is committed to increasing the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates and other credentials to 60 percent by 2025.
College enrollment fell dramatically during the pandemic. But programs in the skilled trades are booming.
Experts say that skilled trade jobs in construction, HVAC, and automotive repair are expected to grow exponentially in the next decade. Many of these positions pay six figures. Even now, in some instances, people with a two-year degree and certificate in the trades are out-earning those with a bachelor's degree.
The recovery in the labor market has been historic, with the unemployment rate now at 3.8 percent. Last month, some 678,000 new jobs were added on top of 467,000 in January.
But the past two years have revealed some basic truths about the workplace—ones that may endure well past the anniversary of the pandemic.
Private student lenders are vigorously lobbying to get the Biden administration to end the pause on federal student loan payments as the pandemic-related hold continues to hurt their bottom line.
The jockeying comes as President Joe Biden weighs whether to extend the current moratorium past May 1.
Despite sinking overall enrollment, some community colleges in California are seeing more students come back.
Several college administrators say targeted state aid is helping to fuel the enrollment uptick—plus the shift to more in-person instruction and the hiring of financial aid coaches.
Cherish Changala-Miller works for a company called Revolution, an Arkansas-based plastics manufacturing business that focuses on delivering more sustainable plastic solutions.
With an increasing global focus on preserving the environment, jobs at companies like Revolution are growing. Learn more about these opportunities in this special series on promising career paths for workers of all education levels.
