How We Connect Education to Work

Strada Education Foundation announced Justin Draeger will join Strada as senior vice president, affordability.

The State Opportunity Index was developed to help states build a stronger connection between education after high school and equitable pathways to opportunity so students realize the full value of their education and employers have the workforce they need to fill high-demand jobs.

Mamie Voight, president and CEO of the Institute for Higher Education Policy, on how states can use State Opportunity Index data to identify what is working within higher education and what needs to improve.

Michael Collins, vice president of the Center for Racial Economic Equity at Jobs for the Future, on how the State Opportunity Index tells a more nuanced story of the data surrounding the value of education after high school.

Wil Del Pilar, senior vice president of The Education Trust, on how the State Opportunity Index helps measure whether policies and practices are actually benefiting the students they were designed to support.

‘Colleges and universities, states, and our country can do more to help prepare students for the critical transition from college to the labor market.’

New research highlights what states and institutions can do to help more graduates secure college-level jobs.

The gift of time. A recognition of talent. A helping hand. How our mentors helped shape us as people and professionals.

Strada Education Foundation Appoints Heather McKay to Direct Institute for the Future of Work

At the heart of MiraCosta College’s Increase Diversity, Equity, and Advancement in Biotechnology (IDEA-BTEC) program, funded in part by a $400,000 grant from Strada Education Foundation, is a unique partnership between the college and two local biotech employers: Sterogene Bio-Separations and Open Biopharma Research and Training Institute.

The community college learning lab and dental clinic is now a newly refurbished space where dental hygiene students refine their technique on mannequins outfitted with realistic incisors, molars, and cuspids. The clinic was remodeled through a partnership with Delta Dental of Rhode Island and supported by a $400,000 grant from Strada Education Foundation.

The letter was delivered in response to the department’s request for information regarding the disclosure of confidential wage records under the department’s regulations governing the confidentiality and disclosure of state unemployment compensation data. Strada also included specific recommendations for regulatory amendments.

Report indicates both success and need for improvement in meeting students’ varied goals

Veteran education policy advocate brings extensive federal experience to shape policy solutions that strengthen pathways to opportunity

A new and improved Free Application for Federal Student Aid expected late this year should provide opportunities for more students and their families to access money to pay for college. Yet the transition to this new form presents unprecedented challenges for those who work to help students complete it.

To better understand the value community colleges provide to individuals and communities, we need to acknowledge the range of needs they serve.

According to new Strada Education Foundation research, community college attendees who complete an associate degree or successfully transfer to a four-year institution value their education at rates comparable to or higher than recent bachelor’s degree completers. However, researchers found first-generation students rated the value of their community college education about 20 percentage points lower than those who are not first-generation students.

Newly established teams will focus on collaboratively shaping policy at state, federal levels to create pathways to opportunity for more people

Eloy Ortiz Oakley, president and CEO of College Futures Foundation and former chancellor of the California Community Colleges, will join a Strada Education Foundation webinar Sept. 7, when he and other panelists will explore Strada’s latest report, “The Value of Community Colleges: Recent Students’ Motivations and Outcomes,” which captures several factors that motivated recent alumni to enroll in community college.

Major changes in the form, combined with an expected delay in its release, are combining to intensify the work of spreading the word about the updated FAFSA.

Initiative designed to support aspiring leaders at HBCUs through scholarships, work-based learning opportunities, expands to 50 schools

Veteran higher ed leader will provide collaborative leadership to help Strada strengthen the link between education and opportunity in America

​​A wide range of experiences prepare students for success beyond the completion of their college degree. The evidence for the value of interning on students’ future careers is strong.

The recognition, awarded to Strada plus all four supported nonprofit organizations that make up Strada Collaborative — CAEL, Education at Work, InsideTrack, and Roadtrip Nation — signals a continued prioritization of DEI efforts.

Longtime senior leader to assume role permanently after leading Strada’s financial operations through leadership, strategy transition as interim CFO

In an era of student enrollment declines, tight labor markets, rising college costs, and a growing lack of confidence in the value of a postsecondary education, community colleges and employers have ample reasons to partner together.

Partnerships between community colleges and employers have the opportunity to address local and regional economic needs through a range of tools, including supporting student success through resources and services, integrating work-based learning, and building career pathways.

Innovative leader brings an extensive track record of navigating through challenges to create effective education-to-employment data systems

Seasoned postsecondary education policy leader to oversee nonprofit organization’s advocacy work with state and federal policymaker

Three-year grants awarded to four institutions will support expansion of programs designed to help learners succeed during and after completion of their degree or credential. These programs deploy a broad range of strategies from new technology solutions to embedded, industry-recognized credentials, which will be made available to thousands of new learners through these grants.

Veteran corporate leader brings diverse range of experience to guide Strada’s legal team and serve organization’s Board of Trustees

Two-year grants will support proven partnerships that connect learners to education and in-demand employment opportunities and strengthen regional economies.

A rich mixture of skills gained in college improves post-completion outcomes for graduates

At a time of growing societal uncertainty about the value of higher education and declining enrollment, the views of alumni turn out to be particularly insightful. This group can provide especially valuable feedback about how their education experiences have enriched their lives, which can help us ensure that today’s students maximize all the benefits that college offers.

The list of benefits associated with earning a college degree is extensive and oft-repeated. It includes higher average lifetime earnings, employment security, greater self-esteem, and better health, among many others.

National Workforce Development Leader to Head Social Impact Organization’s Strategy and Innovation Team

A 12-week internship for individuals who are bold, curious, motivated team players — and passionate about advancing equity.

Amid all of this disruption, the number of U.S. workers leaving or changing their jobs sharply increased. Known variously as the Great Resignation, Reshuffle, or Realignment, the trend has been cast in the cultural imagination as a collective desire on the part of the American workforce for more rewarding or meaningful work.

New Study from Strada Education Network Reveals a Silver Lining at a Challenging Time

Delaware State sophomore accounting major eyes and a different career path after viewing a wealth of options.

Sophomore engineering ‘rock star’ learns to become a leader while following in the HBCU grad footsteps of his parents and brother.

As a natural leader, student embraces opportunities to work in her field and build campus community

With a passion for writing and teaching, student seeks ways to teach while she’s still learning

Strada Education Network is pleased to celebrate the opening of the Jackie Robinson Museum in New York City.

Over the past 80 years, our nation has made great strides in improving access to college, and then ensuring that many more students could complete a college degree.

Spring 2022 enrollment numbers from the National Student Clearinghouse reveal a fifth straight semester of enrollment declines, with more than 1 million fewer students enrolled compared to spring 2020

Phase 2 allows Taskforce members to seek up to $1.5 million ($6.25 million total) to expand efforts to connect education to employment.

Higher education’s measurement of student success is in the midst of an evolution. For nearly five decades, success efforts focused on access, then two decades with completion as the horizon for success, and now the focus is extending to student outcomes beyond completion.

At the innovative Rochester campus of the University of Minnesota, our vision is to “inspire transformation in higher education through innovations that empower graduates to solve the grand health challenges of the 21st century.”

Ducks Rise: Empowering Underrepresented Minorities and Low-Income Students Through Research Internships and Intentional Student Experiences

Developing In-Demand Skills Among Undergraduates for Better, More Equitable Post Completion Outcomes

Access to college isn’t enough. Neither is completion of degrees. It’s time to focus on outcomes

When Zaldwaynaka “Z” Scott became president of Chicago State University in 2018, things were in pretty dire straits: The state budget had been slashed, operations rolled back, and the university had gone years without permanent leadership.

Credit for prior learning helped Loyce Shelley see herself in a new way — and complete her degree.

Applied connections between education and work are increasingly a part of undergraduate education in the United States.

Millie Garcia understands the needs of first-generation college students because she was one. Now, as president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Millie advocates for students just like herself — a group she calls “the new majority” (low-income students, first-generation students, and students of color). She shares what she’s learned about the importance of diversifying higher ed, from students and faculty to the highest leadership positions on campus.

Disparities in securing paid internships persist for women, people of color, first-generation college students, and students with low incomes — even when taking into account their fields of study

Even before the pandemic, employers struggled to find the skilled labor they needed to fill jobs.

The labor market in the United States faces seemingly contradictory challenges: Many employers have trouble finding qualified applicants for current and future jobs, while millions of Americans are out of work or are underemployed—their paths to living-wage jobs blocked by systemic barriers or lack of adequate skills.

Two centuries after the first historically Black colleges and universities were founded, the 101 accredited HBCUs in operation today continue to deliver on their legacy of expanding educational opportunity for Black students that leads to successful and fulfilling lives.

Americans are quitting their jobs at unprecedented rates, leaving millions of job openings and no one to fill them. The Great Resignation is likely motivated, at least in part, by the pandemic. But this trend speaks to a broader disconnect between employer needs and employee wants — a trend that’s been worsening for years now. Michele Chang, from the U.S. Department of Commerce, explains what the federal government is doing to help workers and employers address this.

The origin story of Grow With Google, like so many initiatives at the global technology company, begins with data.

As a field, higher education has experienced a continuing evolution in how to measure success. For nearly five decades success efforts were focused on access, followed by the past decade and a half pursuing completion, and the field now has a growing focus on the value of a degree and student outcomes beyond completion.

Strada Education Network announced today the winners in the initial phase of a $10 million grant challenge aimed at helping higher education institutions identify and expand new solutions that will improve career and life opportunities for more students of color, first-generation students, those who struggle to afford education, and adult students and workers.

Recent Strada research points to a striking disparity between first-year students’ aspirations for career planning in their undergraduate years and seniors’ actual experiences.