Short-term certificate programs at community and technical colleges can be effective at helping people land good-paying jobs. But for some program graduates, certificates don’t lead to the results they expected.
Research company Education Equity Solutions (EES) interviewed 100 graduates – mostly Latino and Black – of short-term certificate programs for manufacturing jobs, as well as college personnel and employers. The good news is that most of the graduates found work in their preferred manufacturing industry. The bad news is that many also were disappointed with their jobs – and that’s led to some disillusionment with college.
Learners’ expectations vs. reality
According to the EES findings, learners interviewed enrolled in certificate programs with clear expectations: they wanted a quality job. To them, that means a job that offers a living wage, has good working conditions (such as eight-hour workdays), a safe environment and has opportunities for advancement.
But, for many, that wasn’t what they found. Some expressed dissatisfaction with their “relatively unskilled” roles – roles where they had only a slight advantage over high school graduates. They also said pay was low, there were few opportunities for advancement, conditions were sometimes unsafe and hours were long, with some saying they worked 12-hour shifts using heavy machinery.
“I had no idea when I joined the program how hard entry-level manufacturing jobs are,” one certificate program graduate said. “I had no idea I had to be in a clean room with no access to my cell phone all day … so I just went back to my old job in sales because the slightly higher pay wasn’t worth it for me.”
The disconnect
The report sheds light on the disconnect between learners’ expectations and what college personnel and employers expect from certificate programs. Community college faculty, for instance, look at certificate programs as providing a “first step” on a pathway to economic mobility. Some college personnel even said certificate programs are meant to “spark interest” in the industry.
In addition, some personnel acknowledged that certificates are not meant to stand alone, but rather are meant to be stackable. The issue is that, for college personnel, building stackable programs is difficult and full of barriers.
For program graduates, disillusionment with entry-level jobs led to disillusionment with college, so they were unlikely to continue their education in the manufacturing field. Those who might want to return to college found it difficult to find the time given long and inflexible work hours.
When it works
Colleges can meet learners’ expectations, though, by targeting specific quality jobs. For that to happen, colleges must be attuned to “labor market dynamics to accurately assess which roles are in-demand and meet graduates’ benchmark for quality,” the EES report said. That includes being aware of where vacancies exist, what wages are offered and what employers offer prospects for employment.
College personnel also must understand the skills required for occupations and ensure the curriculum and program length will give learners an opportunity to gain those skills. Some personnel interviewed shared that nine months was the minimum amount of time needed to give students proper preparation for quality occupations.
They also should help to ensure that every credential in a stackable pathway – including that first credential – leads to a quality job.
A program graduate interviewed who found a quality job said, “Without the program, I don’t know where I would have been. I finally have a house, a family, I’m a grown-up now. I credit this path to the program.”
