New Report Recommends California Higher Ed to Support Older High School Graduates

A new report from California Competes is recommending that California higher ed institutions create better pipelines to college for not only recent high school graduates but also older adults.

The report, “Untapped Opportunity: Understanding and Advancing Prospects for Californians without a College Degree”studies Californians ages 25 to 54 who graduated from high school and suggests how the state’s schools can support such students to college degree completion.

“More vulnerable to unemployment and a lifetime of lower wages, this population would greatly benefit from streamlined pathways to college degrees,” according to California Competes.

“The 6.8 million Californians ages 25–54 who have graduated from high school but have not completed college continue to face a job market that favors applicants with degrees,” according to the report. “Their employment circumstances have become even more difficult since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted and limited employment opportunities across fields.”