Factors influencing the postcollege earnings of Iowa community college career and technical education students from three career clusters

Community college nursing and allied health education programs, and Iowa's healthcare workforce

“…A future study that includes non-credit healthcare programs, and the employment history as well as demographics of community college students would be able to provide information and insight into the value of a community college education or training as opposed to the degree received upon completion. Previous research by Compton (2008) Another area for future research that could be built upon the conclusions and findings of this study is a similar study that includes all completers, regardless of the number of quarters one works during each fiscal year. The limitations of the UI data precluded this researcher from studying program completers who had worked fewer than four quarters each fiscal year.…”

“…Allied Health education programs is growing (Iowa Department of Education, 2008b) the findings of this study should lead community college educators and administrators to consider the relative value of specific programs and credentials offered. A previous study of Iowa career clusters and community college program completers (Compton, 2008) has suggested that programs completers who receive some training or credentials do not realize a significant increase in income as a return on their education investment. In the current study individuals who completed certificate programs realized the smallest median annual income of all program completers.…”

From dropout to degree: The GED pathway to and through Iowa community colleges

“…Results for Iowa GED earners may be because women are more willing to invest time and money in the career exploration and career development provided by college courses. Reasons offered for males' diminished participation in postsecondary education have included the lack of enjoyment of secondary schooling reported by some males (Jacob, 2002) and the perception by some men that college is unnecessary to their preferred fields (e.g., construction and manufacturing) despite limited opportunities for advancement without further training (Compton, 2008). Goldin, Katz, and Kuziemko (2006) found that women's enrollment advantage over men is greatest across the lower half of the socioeconomic distribution, a result likely to be consistent with most Iowa GED earners.…”

“…show that not only are women more likely than men to enroll in college, they are also more likely to persist. Perhaps, as Compton (2008) posited, males enrolled in college may be more likely to take only the courses they need to keep up their skills for employment, while women may seek credentials to provide longer-term job stability.…”

“…The amount of time required for the two-year degree is likely much longer for most adult learners because of part-time attendance and stop-out required to manage work, family, and varying life circumstances that can interrupt college-going (Bean & Metzner, 1985;Jacobs & King, 2002;Reder, 2007). Likewise, students enrolled with a career and jobtraining goal are more likely to be interested in a short-term credential or plan only to take a few courses to explore certain fields without the intention of ever completing a credential (Compton, 2008).…”