Building New Pathways from the Humanities to Careers
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| Title: | Building New Pathways from the Humanities to Careers |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Nancy Hoffman, JFF (Jobs for the Future) |
| Source: | Jobs for the Future. 2024. |
| Availability: | Jobs for the Future. 88 Broad Street 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02110. Tel: 617-728-4446; Fax: 617-728-4857; e-mail: info@jff.org; Web site: http://www.jff.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 13 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation |
| Document Type: | Reports - Descriptive |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education Two Year Colleges |
| Descriptors: | Community College Students, Humanities, Liberal Arts, Employment Potential, Career Readiness, Job Skills, Work Based Learning, Soft Skills, Community Colleges |
| Geographic Terms: | Massachusetts (Boston), Ohio, Virginia |
| Abstract: | Despite the fact that many learners are attracted to the humanities and liberal arts, community college students--particularly those from low-income backgrounds--are often advised to avoid those subjects in favor of STEM-related courses like information technology, health care, and engineering. The reason is clear: unless students have had explicit career preparation and acquired recognized credentials, two-year associate's degrees in the humanities and/or liberal arts (HLA) don't offer much more labor market value than a high school diploma. But this is the age of artificial intelligence (AI), and Jobs for the Future (JFF) believes that students should now be getting a different, perhaps counterintuitive, message about the value of HLA degrees. The message should be "It's capacities nurtured in the humanities and liberal arts that are most important to employers in this new and evolving world of work. Tech skills are also nice to have." This brief describes an innovative effort to enhance the value of community college humanities and liberal arts majors and highlights the important contribution HLA studies can make to career preparation. The initiative, known as Humanities to Career, is being piloted at three schools-- Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) in Boston, Lorain County Community College (LCCC) in Ohio, and Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). Those institutions are engaged in efforts to determine whether combinations of HLA coursework, a focus on development of professional skills, training that leads to a certification with labor market value, and on-the-job work experience can put liberal arts and humanities graduates at the front of the hiring queue rather than the end. JFF is supporting the colleges' efforts and evaluating the implementation and outcomes of their programs. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED675748 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Despite the fact that many learners are attracted to the humanities and liberal arts, community college students--particularly those from low-income backgrounds--are often advised to avoid those subjects in favor of STEM-related courses like information technology, health care, and engineering. The reason is clear: unless students have had explicit career preparation and acquired recognized credentials, two-year associate's degrees in the humanities and/or liberal arts (HLA) don't offer much more labor market value than a high school diploma. But this is the age of artificial intelligence (AI), and Jobs for the Future (JFF) believes that students should now be getting a different, perhaps counterintuitive, message about the value of HLA degrees. The message should be "It's capacities nurtured in the humanities and liberal arts that are most important to employers in this new and evolving world of work. Tech skills are also nice to have." This brief describes an innovative effort to enhance the value of community college humanities and liberal arts majors and highlights the important contribution HLA studies can make to career preparation. The initiative, known as Humanities to Career, is being piloted at three schools-- Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) in Boston, Lorain County Community College (LCCC) in Ohio, and Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). Those institutions are engaged in efforts to determine whether combinations of HLA coursework, a focus on development of professional skills, training that leads to a certification with labor market value, and on-the-job work experience can put liberal arts and humanities graduates at the front of the hiring queue rather than the end. JFF is supporting the colleges' efforts and evaluating the implementation and outcomes of their programs. |
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