By Anne E. Person & James E. Rosenbaum (published August 2006)
This 2006 study examines how employer engagement in two different types of two-year colleges in the United States impacts students’ attitudes and the completion of their degree. Two-year colleges, also referred to as , are higher educational colleges in the United States that offer sub-baccalaureate degrees for students above the age of 18. The study focuses on two types of two-year colleges: public community colleges and fee-paying private/occupational colleges. Private/occupational colleges are often smaller than community colleges and focus more specifically on career learning within a field related to the course. The authors conducted three different studies between . The authors interviewed students, career staff and programmes chairs at seven public and seven private colleges and examined longitudinal data to determine the impact of job-placement services on completing a degree. The authors found that students’ perceptions of college significantly predict students’ increased efforts at school and confidence about degree completion. The impact of job placement on students attending private 2-year colleges doubled the probability of ordinary students completing their degree, and almost tripled it for “at-risk” students, but not for community colleges.
Read the study here