Imagine America Foundation's Civic Engagement Study Displays The Positive Impacts Career Colleges Make On Their Communities
Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) March 10, 2014 -- While providing skilled workers to the U.S. labor force is a top priority for America’s career colleges, those institutions are doing more far more for their communities than supplying skilled labor.
The very concept of a career college is to work in partnership with local businesses to determine the needs of the area's workforce, and develop programs in career fields to create opportunities for those residents wanting to make a difference. But exactly to what degree are career colleges making a difference? And in what areas?
This year, the Imagine America Foundation decided to find out the answers to those questions by commissioning an in-depth research survey on career college civic engagement. The Foundation’s survey involved 34 career education professionals from institutions located in diverse communities throughout the country who answered questions about civic engagement. The participating schools represented three types of institutions: four-year, two-year and less than two-year institutions.
The civic engagement study presents compelling statistics about career colleges and the level of their impact on their local communities. For example, the survey found:
• Career colleges, along with the earnings of their graduates, are estimated to have an annual total direct and indirect economic impact of $71.5 billion.
• Career colleges have an annual net cost to taxpayers of $183 per student, compared with $13,249 per public postsecondary student and $16,669 per private not-for-profit student.
• About 71 percent of all cardiovascular technologists, 54 percent of all diagnostic medical sonographers and 53 percent of all veterinary technology awards were conferred by career colleges in 2010-11.
“In the current environment in which career colleges are being focused on by politicians and regulators, our schools’ ability to display the impact they make on their communities will play a major role in dictating their chances of being successful,” said Robert L. Martin, President & CEO of Imagine America Foundation. “Our study shows exactly how deep that impact is and how communities benefit from the contributions of career college institutions.”
For more information about our study or how we can help you show your community impact, contact Robert L. Martin, President & CEO of the Imagine America Foundation at 571.267.3012 or bobm(at)imagine-america(dot)org.
About the Imagine America Foundation
The Imagine America Foundation (IAF), established in 1982, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing scholarships for education, research and training support for the career college sector. Since its inception, the Foundation has provided over $100 million in scholarship and award support for graduating high school seniors, adult learners and U.S. military personnel attending career colleges nationwide through its award-winning Imagine America programs. The Foundation also publishes vital research publications for the higher education sector, honors achievement in career education and offers comprehensive financial literacy education to thousands of enrolling career college students through its Financial Planning Made Simple tool. For more information about the Imagine America Foundation's programs, please visit http://www.imagine-america.org.
Patty Gallagher, Imagine America Foundation, http://www.imagine-america.org, 571-267-3011, [email protected]
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