Rep. Deb Wallace, who chairs the Higher Education Committee, says that with baby boomers beginning to retire, changes in technology, and jobs in the 21st century requiring specific skills it is especially important to ensure our higher education system is meeting the needs of both students and industry.
For the first time in U.S. history the current generation of college going age students is less educated than their parents. This is due in part to the opportunities offered to returning WW II veterans after the war. Wallace hopes a combination of expanded education benefits for veterans, new federal tax credit programs and state support through the state need grant will help to expand the ability for students to attend school.
According to the Higher Education Coordinating Board, we need to produce about 40 percent more college degrees by the year 2030 to adequately meet the workforce needs of employers. That equals an additional 11,400 four-year degrees, 9,300 graduate degrees, and 10,300 two-year degrees.
Where will these new degree-earners come from? The HECB says a better job must be done helping minorities go to college and recruiting current workers to go back to school. In addition, expanding use of online and hybrid courses can increase access for those who don't live close to a college campus.
And that's where the new "System Design Plan" comes into play. The plan will include:
- Recommendations to increase undergraduate and graduate educational attainment levels for Washington by the year 2030.
- Recommendations to determine when and where to locate new campuses and higher education centers.
- “Rational rules for growth” to help guide expansion and coordination of the higher education system in Washington over the next several decades.
- Recommendations to increase higher education for under-served areas and populations.
