Do students benefit from obtaining vocational certificates from community colleges? (Adela Soliz, Brookings)

Over the past decade there has been tremendous growth in the number of short credentials awarded by public community colleges. These programs of study are explicitly vocational and require fewer credits for completion than an associate’s degree. However, it is not clear whether students benefit from obtaining these certificates. On the one hand, these credentials could be tightly coupled with local labor market needs and provide students with tangible skills that could help them get jobs. On the other hand, these short programs of study could leave students with a credential that means little to employers and offers them no clear avenue to additional schooling.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/brown-center-chalkboard/posts/2016/03/28-vocational-certificates-benefits-soliz