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Computer
& Career Schools Attendance Up
-
Employees Seeking to Become More
Valuable
June, 2005 -- In a job market that remains tight
and competitive, workers are going back to
career-oriented schools to finish degrees, get
additional learning, or add specialized
certifications to their credentials.
At the University
of Phoenix,
for example - an accredited university offering
computer career courses online and at 100+ campus
locations around the US - there are over 63,000
students taking online courses. Many of those
students are working adults, with at least some
college credit.
Other leading computer career schools - including
ITT
Tech
and DeVry
University,
and ITT
Tech Online
- also report strong levels of interest and
enrollment.
Of course, going back to school can be a challenge.
Workers must juggle daytime business demands with
evening study and personal activities.
So to address the needs of today's students,
career-oriented colleges and universities are
working hard to make their offerings as practical
and flexible as possible. Career schools have hired
skilled teachers with real-world experience, and
added programs that allow students to complete
studies online or at local campuses in evenings and
on weekends.
Going back to school can be a smart career
move.
According to the Department of Labor, the
unemployment rate in May 2005 for workers aged 25+
broke down like this:
|
|
Education
Level
|
Unemployment
Rate
|
|
|
-
High school diploma
|
-
4.5%
|
|
|
-
Some college
|
-
3.9%
|
|
|
-
Bachelor's degree or higher
|
-
2.4%
|
Additionally, many experts believe that the
motivation behind the back-to-school trend isn't
simply a reaction to the recent bad economy. It is
also a reaction to positive forces:
• Average earnings for a bachelor's degree
recipient are 50% higher than average earnings of
those with only a high school diploma (U.S. Dept.
of Education).
• Adults feel more comfortable returning to
school, because the face of students is changing.
Two out of five college students are now 25 or
older (U.S. Dept. of Education).
• Companies are helping more. Almost 80% of
employers offer educational assistance today
(Society for Human Resource Management).
• Career schools are offering valuable courses
- at costs cheaper than traditional private
schools.
• Employers are looking for workers with the
latest skills. A degree in computer science or
electronics engineering, for example, is more
valuable to an employer if it's been obtained in
the past 10 years or
less.
•
Employers have discovered that people with the
self-discipline to complete a degree online or
after hours are likely to be very good
employees.
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