‘Microcredentials’ fast-track careers; courses certify skills to fill jobs without college debt

Brayden Cagle is pursuing an alternative career path after high school. Instead of pondering Plato at a four-year college, he is apprenticing as a heating, ventilation and air conditioning technician.

“I get something fixed, and I feel really good knowing I helped someone stay comfortable,” said Mr. Cagle, 22, who lives in Sullivan, Indiana. “I also couldn’t see myself sitting in an office all day.”

He signed up for an HVAC program at public Ivy Tech Community College in nearby Terre Haute to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and uncle, who own businesses in the industry.

Like Mr. Cagle, more college-age students have shunned costly degrees and pursued nonacademic “microcredentials” to work in the skilled trades.

Microcredentials are short, hands-on courses that industry employers recognize as certifications for skilled jobs. They can be acquired within a week to less than two years and are often “stackable,” allowing earners to return for broader credentials, certifications or degrees.

Advocates argue that microcredentials are preferable in an inflationary economy to racking up six-figure student loan debt for a liberal arts education that borrowers may never use.

More than 1 million unique badges, licenses, certificates and diplomas are available nationwide.

“The incentive is quality education that doesn’t put them in debt,” said David Will, the engineering school dean at Ivy Tech, which offers various microcredentials. “We give them hands-on skills for a lifelong career to support their families.”

Enrollment in credential programs at Ivy Tech, which manages all of Indiana’s building and trade certifications across 19 campuses, has climbed from 500 students two years ago to 800 this fall.

Mr. Will said more people ages 18 to 22 have signed up to earn credentials while apprenticing as HVAC technicians, plumbers, pipe fitters, electricians, operating engineers and painters. That’s unusual for a commuter college system that usually draws older students with families.

Certifications also are offered for mechanics, electricians, welders, machinists, software engineers, and automation and robotics specialists.

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center said more than 1 million people were enrolled in an undergraduate-level certificate program this spring, up from 919,000 in 2019. Preliminary estimates show certificate enrollment grew by another 7.3% this fall while first-year college enrollments among 18-year-olds fell by 6%.

“Certificates are unique in that they can serve to elevate students’ learning even within more traditional degree pathways,” said Jennifer Causey, a senior research associate at the clearinghouse.

Microcredentials have been offered for decades, but higher education watchers say retirements, technology-driven changes and a tight job market have made them more attractive.

At the same time, inflation and rising tuition rates have made college degrees less attractive to young people.

“Microcredentials’ sudden popularity in recent years also coincides with the pandemic,” said John Lane, a vice president at the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, a network of government agencies overseeing public colleges. “COVID-19 was not only a public health crisis but also a significant economic crisis.”

Success stories

Some students earn microcredentials at industry trade schools and private agencies, but most enroll in regional colleges such as Ivy Tech that partner with industries to fill job openings.

Mr. Will said government subsidies and employer reimbursements allow 4 out of 5 Ivy Tech students to graduate debt-free.

Ivy Tech tailors its programs to job openings in each of the 19 counties it serves, ensuring that certificate holders can make about $45,000 annually in entry-level trade jobs.

That’s roughly the same salary first-year teachers make in Indiana after graduating with four-year college degrees and tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

Enrollment in certificate programs also has surged for credentials in office jobs that no longer require four-year degrees.

Florida Atlantic University, a public research university in Boca Raton, found that enrollment in its online hospitality and tourism industry certificate program surged to 56,000 people from 144 countries when the school offered it free during pandemic lockdowns.

Siri Terjesen, an economist and associate dean at FAU, said thousands of people sign up annually for entrepreneurship and business executive certificates.

“Microcredentials can really open these pathways for young adults, recent immigrants, and even older adults seeking a career change or reentry,” Ms. Terjesen said.

Henry Mack, who served as Florida’s higher education chancellor for four years under Gov. Ron DeSantis, helped draft the state’s skills-based education laws.

He said Florida has experienced “a remarkable increase in short-term, non-degree attainment” in recent years among minority students from low-income backgrounds.

“Higher education risks becoming irrelevant,” said Mr. Mack, a vice president at private St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens. “Most companies don’t believe students have the skills they need and are increasingly spending time and money on reskilling employees after they hire them because the higher education institution didn’t do what it was supposed to.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced a $32 million investment to expand a professional microcredential program in collaboration with the State University of New York. The funding will help SUNY expand the program across its campuses and reach up to 6,000 students by 2030.

Summer Schneider, executive director of Legacy College Preparatory Charter School, a New York City public charter school in the Bronx, says more K-12 families have realized a four-year degree may not be for everyone.

“High school students and their families are looking for ways to expand their interests after high school without taking on the debt that comes with many four-year institutions,” Ms. Schneider said. “We are seeing more scholars show an interest in trade schools and have started offering tours during junior and senior years to help explore this option.”

Associated Builders and Contractors, a trade group for the nonunionized construction industry, said microcredentials give high school graduates a fast track to employment. The average U.S. construction worker earns more than $46,000 annually.

“With the need for more than half a million skilled construction professionals this year alone, microcredentials offer an opportunity for those interested in a career in the construction industry to learn the needed skill set more quickly and effectively,” said Timothy Mongeau, the trade group’s director of workforce development.

Nevertheless, Mr. Mongeau said more colleges must “create avenues for students to earn microcredentials” because many schools remain disconnected from workforce needs.

Buyer’s remorse

Reports suggest the U.S. has too many high school graduates pursuing four-year degrees and not enough entering blue-collar industries to serve the emerging technology-based job market.

Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce said nearly one-third of annual job openings through 2031 will require some credentials but not a degree.

The center reported in May that “at least half” the colleges in half the nation’s labor markets must reduce baccalaureate preparation in humanities and general studies to refocus on vocational training that meets this need.

Lindsay Daugherty, a senior education and workforce development policy analyst at the Rand Corp., said American colleges have long neglected vocational training and elite and top-tier universities “aren’t interested in this at all.”

“The U.S. was the outlier relative to countries in Europe and elsewhere in trying to force all individuals into traditional college pathways and neglecting investments in strong, formalized vocational and applied training pathways,” Ms. Daugherty said. “So this seems like a positive trend toward more balanced investment.”

A recent USA Today poll found that 33% of college graduates wished they had “taken a different approach” or not attended college. That included 10% who regretted not entering the workforce right after high school and 8% who would have pursued an apprenticeship or fellowship if they could do it again.

Another 46% of college graduates said they could have landed their current jobs without a degree, and 39% said they did not use their degrees daily.

Survey respondents who didn’t attend college cited financial constraints as their top reason for not going.

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a liberal arts advocacy group, said microcredentials deprive students of the generalized skills that four-year degrees offer.

“Students are simply responding to the strong and growing incentives, seeking any alternative they can find to the skyrocketing costs of four-year college,” said Bradley Jackson, the group’s vice president of policy. “Although these courses may pay off in the short term, students will likely find these courses ignore the critical thinking skills that will be vital for any career.”

In 2023, the Cicero Institute reported that 23 states no longer required college degrees for their employees. That included governors in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah and Virginia who directed state agencies over the preceding year to hire based on skills rather than degrees.

Michael Brickman, an adjunct fellow specializing in higher education at the American Enterprise Institute, said students should not necessarily rule out degrees, which lead to higher earnings over time.

“It gets to the return on investment question,” Mr. Brickman said. “They should work backward from their goals and what programs will get them there. They shouldn’t make decisions based on ‘college is good’ for me or ‘college isn’t good for me.’”

Peter Wood, president of the conservative National Association of Scholars, said returning to the original concept of college as an exception rather than the rule for young people would benefit everyone.

“Not going to college should be the default,” said Mr. Wood, a former associate provost at private Boston University. “Only high school graduates who have a burning ambition to go to college, the ability to succeed at a demanding curriculum for four uninterrupted years, and the resources to bypass market opportunities should apply.”

This article was first published by the Washington Times on October 24, 2024.