Dive Summary:
- A new study, titled "The College Advantage: Weathering the Economic Storm," from the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University affirms the value of a college education while acknowledging the impact of the current economy on recent grads, beginning with the sentence, "When it rains hard enough and long enough, everyone gets a little wet."
- According to the study, the unemployment rate for recent four-year graduates is 6.8%, compared to 24% for recent high school graduates, and underemployment for recent college grads is 8.4%, as opposed to the 17.3% rate for those with only a high school diploma.
- Additionally, the study reports that a college education improves employment prospects in traditional blue collar industries like manufacturing and construction despite recent assertions by politicians that some workers don't need college degrees, and also suggests that the figures reported may serve as a "wake-up call" for men, who were becoming less likely to attend college in the years leading up to the recession.
From the article:
Stories abound of college graduates working at Starbucks, living at home and facing an uncertain economic future. And many of these stories have led to increased questioning of the value of a college degree. But a report released today says that -- despite the current economic hardships faced by people at all levels of education -- the value of a college degree remains strong. ...