Short-Term Credentials of Value: How They Open Doors to Higher Education

Short-term credentials are programs that lead to a certification in less than a standard 16 week college semester. One of the most common criticisms of short-term credentials students is that they are not going to propel these students into a more prosperous future - that they are not a pathway into the high-skill, high-wage jobs so many are looking for. What these criticisms fail to realize is that for many students, a short-term credential is a pathway, a door opening to higher education. Nationwide, 40% of students who earn a bachelor’s degree enroll in graduate school within four years, continuing their education. Given the chance, students who earn a short term credential could follow a similar trajectory, enrolling in additional schooling and catapulting themselves and their families into generational mobility.

Electronics assembler is a common short-term credential. Let’s take a look at the pathway for this potential student:

This graphic shows how a short-term training less than a semester long could lead a student to a job making five dollars an hour more than minimum wage in the state of Florida (minimum wage is currently $13/hr, and an estimate for an electronics assembler is $18.25/hr). Then, the short-term training could be applied to an Engineering Technology AS degree that takes two years to complete full time. This degree could nearly double the student’s earnings, a pathway the student may have not considered without the short-term credential helping them get their foot in the door.

This scenario can be expanded into many fields and industries. Below is an example from the prominent healthcare industry and another short-term credential, EKG technician.

An EKG technician is a short-term training that has an average wage of $30.75/hr, more than double that of the minimum wage in Florida. Then, the student could transfer the credit earned from the credential to a two-year and then a four-year degree. 

Short-term credentials have the ability to create a path of upward mobility for students. This can be repeated again and again for different credentials in many different fields. To help your college lay out the pathway for these students, contact Dr. Mildred G. Coyne, CEO of Coyne Workforce Solutions at mildred.coyne@coyneworkforcesolutions.com.