With most good-paying jobs requiring education and training beyond high school, completing a postsecondary education is the proven path towards prosperity. For some, that means a college degree. For others, that may mean a certificate or completion of an apprenticeship. Whatever a student’s “college” path, we all benefit when more Missouri students earn a credential that leads to careers that support them and their families.
A postsecondary education yields more than a higher income. Earning a postsecondary credential also leads to improved health, greater civic engagement, and other improvements to quality of life.
Unfortunately, significant disparities exist in who can access, afford, and complete a degree or certificate. Students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, and students in rural communities do not earn credentials at the same rate as their peers.
For Missouri to reach its attainment goal of 60% of adults aged 25-64 with a postsecondary credential by 2030, it will need to produce 243,000 more degrees and certificates than current trends predict.
