Yes because more and more students are leaving with degrees/certificates that are not leading to employment. They have debt to pay off and nothing to show for it.
Yes, I believe it is because the governing bodies want more transparency for the consumer
I do believe the focus of employment outcomes has intensified, primarily due to GE.
Yes, because I believe schools are being held more accountable for the education they are providing, and their employment rates are a direct result of the quality of that provided education.
I believe regulatory bodies have increased their focus on employment outcomes more than ever. This is partially evidenced by ACCSC's recent decision to require third party verification for employment outcomes. I believe the driving force behind the increased intensity is based on the pressure by the USDOE for career and technical schools to be held more accountable, particularly for-profit organizations.
I believe that going to school should be beneficial to the student, and I think it should be addressed in the beginning to avoid wasted time and money on a undecided student. Student long term goals should be discussed and employment goals are part of the employment outcomes and this can also drive school services changes.
Yes, since the current administration came out with the "Gainful Employment" regulations, there has been a fervor over what this means. The long and short of it, without ensuring good employment outcomes, there is no way of complying with the new Gainful Employment regulations.
I believe the driving force is actually multi-causal. Some of the contributing factors are the recession, job competition, the shrinking dollar and sky rocketing tuition.
The focus has indeed intensified, given the current employment conditions fraud is on the rise as competion for students intestifies. Its a sad commentary on the deteriation of the moral fibers in this country following the finaincial meltdown. But constant with how people fall prey in times of hardship.
Jeffrey,
Great observation. Determining in-demand programs requires multi-faceted research such as, unemployment rates, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Advisor Boards and local economic factors.
Cindy Bryant
The most recent article I've read on student loans is one in seven students is in default. That's a lose lose for everyone, especially the students. The most effective way to lower the default rate is to have students enroll in programs that are in demand. Employment outcome is the real end-game and argueably the only validation of its worth.
Annie ,
Indeed the state of the economy and the unemployment rate has led to many issues for the career college industry. Our hope would be that all economic factors would be taken into account when calculating a fair employment rate for career colleges. On the other hand we stand in a precarious position where we assume the responsibility for assisting graduates in finding employment which can be burdensome in today's society. If we can not deliver upon our mission statement then we will continue to be scrutinized.
Cindy Bryant
Yes I believe that the focus of regulatory bodies has been intensified on employment outcomes. I believe the elevated unemployment rate because of either unemployment or under-employment has caused more scrutiny.
Carol,
Posting employment figures in a public area indicates to the students that you have confidence in what you are doing and that you are proud of your accomplishments.
Cindy Bryant
I believe the focus has intensified due to high student loan debt along with higher default rates. Verifying that a students are employed in the field they attended school for, should reduce the default rate and lower the student debt.
Yes, the focus has intensified. Most likely, the reason behind this is that the government, regulators and Congress believe that private educational institutions fail to properly educate students for employment in the fields in which they studied. In addition, many students drop out of their programs with government loans and are unable to pay them back. My school posts its employment figures in a public area quarterly so that they are visible to our students and potential students.
Employment outcomes have intensified because in our profession of massage therapy, it's real easy for a graduate to say they have a private practice, but without proper documentation, the graduate may actually be doing nothing which negates the true percentage of graduates that are actually working in the field.
Sterling,
Thank you for sharing your experience. This is a perfect example of how schools manage to become the featured story on the evening news. It never hurts to be reminded how easily that this can occur.
Cindy Bryant
I do beleive the the focus on employment outcomes have intensified over the past couple of years; and for good reason! Some schools in the past have created programs where students have been given unrealistic expectations regarding their employability after they graduate from such programs as Video Game Design, Animation, etc... I have worked at some schools where students were told that they could be expected to be paid to play video games all day long and earn up to $300,000.00/year. Obvisously, this does not serve the school or, more importantly, the student! Due to the new gainful employemnt rules that have come out, now schools are required to be realistic about employment outcomes where they may not have been scrutinized as closely in the past.
Nicole,
In the past there may have been admissions personnel that engaged in misrepresenting employment info. With the onset of Program Integrity (CFR 34)this is less likely to occur on a regular basis. This does not mean that there aren't isolated incidents.
Cindy Bryant
