Building Pathways to Postsecondary Education Today for the Economy of Tomorrow

California’s labor market faces a looming talent gap which requires a focus on access to postsecondary education. By 2025, 60 percent of adults in America will need a high-quality postsecondary degree, certificate, or credential of value. However, in California just above half (51.1 percent) of adults hold these credentials, placing our state behind 23 other states and the District of Columbia. Further, large and persistent disparities in postsecondary attainment remain, across racial /ethnic groups and between students who experience socioeconomic disadvantage and their more affluent peers.

To secure our future economy, we must equip all Californians today with the skills and credentials they need to participate in the workforce tomorrow. Pathways to and through postsecondary education—particularly dual enrollment-—will help ensure that we achieve this goal, so California’s economy thrives in the future.