Dev Ed is Good for Business

In the community college world, the connection between education and economic security is obvious. But that doesn’t mean it is always easy to gain the support of policy makers and business leaders. Sometimes, don’t you just want to slap these numbers up on a billboard? 

We haven’t got a billboard, but we have done some thinking about the economic imperative of getting more students to complete a college credential. In the “Communications” section of the Resources page, you’ll find “Dev Ed is Good for Business,” a brief piece that can help you become a walking billboard. Think of this document as a set of talking points to use in conversations with people who want to know why developmental education is good for our communities and workforce, not just individuals.

The good news: we certainly aren’t the only ones calling attention to this. In mid-January, Jamie Merisotis, president of Lumina Foundation for Education, spoke at the Economic Club of Indiana (you can read the full transcript or watch the video on Lumina’s website):

“It has become clear, not just to economists, but to millions of Americans, that completing some form of higher education is the best unemployment insurance you can find. Now, a college degree is a prerequisite. There’s no guarantee that a student who obtains a college degree is going to get a good job and have a middle-class life. But in the future, you almost certainly will be poor without some kind of postsecondary credential.”

As private companies begin reinvesting and rehiring, community college students can fill those slots, but they’ve got to be ready with credentials and additional skills—like the ones Jeffrey Jorres, CEO of Manpower Inc, outlines:

“Employers have gotten more specific about the combination of skill sets that they are looking for, not only seeking technical capabilities in a job match, but holding out for the person that possesses the additional qualities above and beyond that will help drive their organization forward. This conundrum is upsetting to the ubiquitous job seeker, who will need to take more responsibility for his/her skills development in order to find ways to remain relevant to the market.”

Well-designed training and college-readiness support can give students the foundation and these “additional qualities” that are required in the 21st century workforce. College students who have managed their time in self-paced math emporiums, have simultaneously improved writing skills while in a college-level course, or learned to work as part of a team in learning communities will be better prepared for this workforce. How do you make this case for the business leaders in your community? Tell us what your billboard would say in the comments section!

Alyson Zandt is a Program Associate at MDC.

What's in a Name?

Ever wish you had a ready-made elevator speech for talking about developmental education? Something simple, straightforward, and conversational that anyone would understand? Talking about developmental ed can be challenging. So to help, we’ve assembled some general advice and messaging for discussing developmental education with any audience. It’s our goal to provide you with the basics for getting the word out whether you’re at a board meeting with trustees or in line at the grocery store.  (Because we really want to spread the good word everywhere, people.)

While these documents were developed with DEI colleges in mind as the users, we think they will be useful to a broader audience. The messages draw on research from our funders, Public Agenda, and some trusty communications consultants. Here’s a brief rundown of the four pieces we’ve prepared to help you meet the challenge. Future blog posts will delve into the content and utility of each:  

1. Talking Points –special messages for key audiences and four main themes: 
• The problem: Half the new jobs created in the next 10 years will require some college education. Yet right now, students who need a developmental course are much less likely to finish college than those who don’t need one. 
• The conventional one-size-fits-all approach to developmental education doesn’t work for many students. 
• Developmental education can work for students who need it. 
• It’s just a matter of offering motivated Americans at all stages of life and from every background a fair chance at a good-paying career and a better future. 
2. Dev Ed is Good for Business & the Economy—an economic appeal for propelling under-prepared students toward rewarding careers. 
3. Promising Examples from DEI Colleges—a quick look at the types of innovation that are changing students’ lives. 
4. Institutional Innovation & State Policy Change—how coordination of these two important efforts is essential to sustainable success.

You can find all of these in the Resources section of our website under “Communications.” In the coming weeks, we’ll be blogging about specific messaging problems that all of us encounter, including students’ negative perceptions of developmental education and the search for a name and definition for these courses that is both representative and accessible. This blog can be a forum to test and share new ways of talking about developmental education. Let’s get started: click on the “comments” link below and give us your most successful dev ed elevator speech.

Richard Hart is MDC's Communications Director.