Watch these videos and explore this site to learn what we can do to improve education.
The jobs of the future will require knowledge and skills that we can’t expect to gain in high school. But when we continue our education into college or another kind of post-high-school training, we’ll be prepared to find the jobs that will create a better quality of life for us and for future generations.
In addition, people with more education are more likely to volunteer, live longer, participate in civic activities, contribute to the economy, and have greater family stability.
Utah's economy is rapidly changing—it's more important than ever for people need to further their education beyond high school. In fact, people with only a high school diploma are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as people with a bachelor’s degree. But educational attainment in Utah is below the national average and is not keeping up with our increasingly tech-focused economy.
If we want to remain a prosperous state in the future, we need more people to further their education beyond high school.
Trade schools, community colleges, technical certification programs, and colleges and universities are all great ways to continue education and training beyond high school. All of them will help students be prepared to find jobs, pursue goals, and create better communities.
There are plenty of ways to empower students who aren't already planning for post-secondary education. For example, Latinos in Action, a high school course in Utah, has doubled the odds Latinx students will enroll in college after graduation (see video to the left).
On average, it takes encouragement from parents and at least one other mentor to help students start and finish education beyond high school. The earlier the encouragement starts, the better. We all can play a role.
Maintaining affordability through low tuition, scholarships, grants, and other programs will put college within reach of more Utah students.
High-quality K–12 education should prepare students to further their education after high school. This includes academic readiness, but also social skills, problem solving, and self-discipline.
Getting education beyond high school has been proven to deliver the outcomes Utahns want from education: a higher quality of life, the knowledge and skills they need to achieve their goals, and prosperous communities. Take a look at the research and resources below to learn how getting education beyond high school will create a brighter future for all of us.
NCES. (May 2015). Characteristics of Postsecondary Students ; Adelman, C. (2006). The toolbox revisited: Paths to degree completion from high school through college. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Educational Sciences.
Newman, J. (2014, January 29). State funding for need-based aid averages less than $500 per student. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/blogs/data/2014/01/29/state-funding-for-need-based-aid-averages-less- than-500-per-student/