For too many learners, working while in college is a barrier to career growth

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For too many learners, working while in college is a barrier to career growth

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Jane Swift is the former governor of Massachusetts and the head of the nonprofit Education at Work, which partners with companies and higher education institutions to connect college students to job opportunities.

Earlier this year, the Biden Administration urged colleges and universities to lend a hand to the nation’s K-12 schools. Specifically, it called on postsecondary institutions to use at least 15% of their annual allocation of roughly $1.2 billion in Federal Work-Study Program funds to employ more college students as tutors, mentors and student success coaches in public schools.

The White House included the call to action in its agenda for accelerating K-12 academic performance after pandemic-era school closures. But for higher education, this announcement should increase urgency around rethinking the connection between education and employment. 

Under the Federal Work-Study program, low- and middle-income college students are paid by their colleges for part-time work to help cover their educational costs. Using these dollars more effectively to enhance the early-career prospects of college students is critical to giving them quality work-based learning experiences. 

A headshot of Jane Swift.

Jane Swift

Permission granted by Jane Swift

 

For college students considering careers in education, public policy, social work, or human services, working in our nation’s public schools is not only a win for the K-12 students they serve but also will provide them with needed experience — the definition of a high-quality learn and earn program. 

However, most undergraduates don’t get a high quality, career accelerating opportunity to combine work and learning while in college. Yet, nearly two-thirds of undergraduates work while they’re in school. One-quarter of students from low-income backgrounds have full-time jobs — which is concerning, as working long hours correlates with lower grades, fewer credits earned and a higher chance of dropping out.

Although it might seem counterintuitive, working merely to pay the bills while in college often does little to prepare students for the kinds of employment opportunities envisioned by policymakers and higher education leaders. 

The reason? Too many of today’s learners have jobs disconnected from their college majors and eventual careers. It’s time to reframe how higher education thinks about work-based learning and how federal dollars should be spent.

Consider which students work and why. Students from wealthier backgrounds might choose paid and unpaid opportunities during college to gain valuable skills, knowledge and connections. 

But financially disadvantaged students often must work to pay rent, buy groceries and cover college tuition. These students tend to work longer hours in jobs that provide little scheduling flexibility, which limits their ability to focus on their education or future careers.

Research from Strada shows that first-generation college students are more likely than their peers to work longer hours and less likely to secure career-boosting, work-based learning opportunities like internships.

Meanwhile, there’s a gap between expectation and reality. Seventy percent of first-year students expect to have work-based learning experiences — such as internships, co-ops, field experience, student teaching, or clinical placement — while in college. Yet fewer than half of students, 48%, report having had such experiences by the time they reach their senior year. 

Working learners — who are disproportionately Black, Latino/a or women — aren’t simply being shut out of career opportunities. Many do not even graduate. Just 22% of working learners from low-income backgrounds earn a bachelor’s degree within six years of starting college. 

Ironically, higher education has long had a mechanism for helping more students access work-based learning: the Federal Work-Study Program. 

In 2016, researchers from Teachers College, Columbia University, found that students who participated in Federal Work-Study were more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree and find employment after graduation. 

At the same time, these jobs rarely advance students’ career goals. More than 90% of Federal Work-Study funds support on-campus jobs — roles that are often within college administrative offices and offer little career relevance or development. 

Policymakers in recent years have attempted to expand the scope of the Federal Work-Study program. 

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