John R. Broderick and Ellen J. Neufeldt column: Filling high-tech jobs requires paradigm shift in higher ed
The General Assembly passed legislation investing hundreds of millions of dollars in higher education to create enough graduates to fill the 25,000-plus jobs being created at Amazon’s new headquarters, along with Micron Technology and other high-tech firms that are sure to follow.
This opportunity requires a long-needed paradigm shift to provide access and support to more low-income students. The result will be a continuous pipeline of graduates and an upward trend in social mobility — the ability for students in the bottom 20% of household incomes to graduate college and move into high-paying jobs — for thousands of Virginians. Removing the economic roadblock will increase the number of qualified graduates and broaden workplace diversity.
To facilitate this shift, Old Dominion University’s Center for Social Mobility partnered with the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia to convene a workshop for Virginia universities. This was followed by a national symposium at the center that hosted representatives from institutions across the country.
Experts discussed changes needed to make education accessible and upward social mobility a reality for more people. They warned that trends are moving in the wrong direction.
To learn more about these trends, check out the whole article below.