Community colleges may help more Americans find work.
Now more than ever, higher education is one of the most important tools many people have as they seek a bright economic future.
The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce studies the relationship between education and employment. In 2014, the center released a report on the future of the United States job market. It found that by the year 2020, 65 percent of all U.S. jobs will require workers to have some kind of education or training after they finish high school.
But the Department of Education reports that younger Americans often have difficulty meeting that requirement. It reported that in 2015, only about 42 percent of people between 18 and 24 years of age were in a postsecondary degree study program. Also, only about 60 percent of college students who started a four-year degree program in 2008 completed its requirements within six years.
So how might the United States better educate its population? Some experts believe community college is the answer.
Community colleges have long been the way for Americans facing economic or other barriers to get a college education. In 1947, the U.S. government called on states to each create their own system of public, two-year institutions to serve communities in need. These schools offer classes costing less than other colleges or universities. And they often have no academic requirements for students who attend.
