How Can a Two-Year College System Support SDG4 for Quality Educational Access
Higher Education affordability and access can be met through two-year college programs
Higher education in emerging countries is rapidly becoming a necessity for the economic development of the business sector to grow and expand.
Most emerging nations with significant youth populations at traditional college age (17–22) find that boosting and improving their higher education is no longer a choice or a governmental sector that can be ignored.
The timeframe in which a high/secondary school diploma can elevate someone, and their family, from poverty to the working class is fast diminishing.
Many with high/secondary school education are now struggling to find suitable opportunities to build a better world for themselves and their families. Therefore, providing viable higher education options is a looming necessity.
The rapid rise of technology, automation, and virtual marketplaces requires new skills and knowledge to survive in daily life and care for a family.
If a person hopes to have significant earning potential during their lifetime, they may be almost completely limited by their learning potential and the level of education received.
The good news is that it is not necessary to have an all-or-nothing approach when it comes to education.
Education level does not have to include a full three- or four-year degree as the higher education journey could begin with a local two-year college. This is one of the most significant resources for beginning a college education at any stage in life. The two-year college system is known as the community college system in the US and Canada.
Globally, these systems are referred to as junior, technical, or vocational colleges. Depending on the location and philosophical mandate, these establishments vary in programs and services offered as well as the type of students they attract.
Despite these variations, all such institutions share some commonalities with traditional four-year colleges and universities. The two-year college system generally offers lower-level tertiary education, grants certificates, and diplomas, and some may even offer Associate degrees.
Globally, locations like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore have two-year college systems as part of their education models in the capacity of technical or junior college, or the polytechnic version.
Most two-year colleges offer classes at various times during the day and evening, even some on weekends.
They are designed to accommodate students of different ages and backgrounds, and can also be tailored to serve traditional college-aged students as part of the higher education model.
These colleges are essentially commuter colleges but some can be residential to accommodate rural students seeking programs not offered at closer two-year colleges.
Two-year colleges also allow persons who are still undecided to explore options for which direction they wish for their education to take without paying a high price for the process.
On the other hand, if someone knows the career path they wish to take, a two-year degree program may take them out of school and into a career much sooner than a four-year program will allow.
If that is not good enough news, many of the two-year programs of study that are offered may very well transfer quite easily into bachelor’s degree programs at the university level.
Two-year colleges can offer excellent opportunities to begin the learning quest in a manner that is more easily affordable to the average citizen rather than a full-blown university.
This model is much easier to budget for when it comes to setting aside funds and savings for college education or the educational expenses of children.
Attending a two-year college often allows a student to then transfer to a university where they can save money, be it personal funds or through scholarships. Students will still be receiving an excellent level of education.
A two-year program can offer an excellent start for many people who are seeking higher education, whether to further their careers or just to find fulfillment on a personal level in life.
There are many viable and solution-oriented programs in vocational and technical fields. Students with practical training, partnered with daily foundational teaching in life skills and business, will have many opportunities to work toward self-sufficiency for their personal or family needs.
The two-year college model should maintain two paths; one that leads the university to the continuation of study or the other that leads to employability or entrepreneurship.
For graduating high/secondary school students, two-year colleges help ease the adjustment to the rigor and independence of university-level work and responsibilities.
The two-year college system can create a buffer and lessen the shock of the academic standards and responsibilities of working autonomously that some universities place on students.
One may find that there are often many opportunities to meet educational requirements as well as social skills for students that are interested in pursuing a full university education.
A system of this nature creates increased opportunities to get education for students and their families at various economic levels.
A pathway of this nature supports the goal of increasing access as required by Sustainable Development Goal 4.3 for higher education.
Examples of community colleges making inroads in various higher systems of education within the past two years are the Community College of Santiago in Chile, and the newly minted Community College of Qatar in Doha.
In emerging nations, creating a strong transfer credit system for students who seek to transfer will be critical to the value of the two-year college experience.
Allowing coursework and skills gained from a two-year college should help propel a transferring student into the full university experience.
The two-year college models with vocational, technical, and trade skills education can be excellent routes for students who seek to attend university but find their talents are better served in the skilled labor sector.
Students taking this route gain both skills and certification. Such programs create manageable expectations for finding independent work or employment, thus a return on their personal or family’s investment in their education.
They also offer credentialing and degrees that enable employability in 18–24 months which lessens the burden for families to have funding for 3–4 years. A model of this nature also assists national youth development and rapid workforce deployment.
Again, a two-year model focused on vocational, technical, and trade skills help to quell the growing concern about employment opportunities by college graduates as these students would head into sectors that are experiencing growth for skilled personnel.
In emerging and growing economies where skilled labor knowledge is needed; two-year programs in infrastructure, healthcare, technology, telecommunications, and construction would be beneficial for growing the local employment market sector.
These sectors also need consistent maintenance and development of their projects, such as roads, water systems, patient care, automotive care, tourism, and more.
These certified skills allow students to find employment and also build small businesses because of their skill sets. Students in some of the educational sectors can choose the income pathway that meets their immediate needs and that of their families.
Learning trade or technical skills in conjunction with foundations for business ownership and management will increase employability.
Creating and teaching programs that address the local market economy needs or a growing investment sector support helping youth find or create meaning and decent work. It introduces entrepreneurship to students through the use of their skills.
Governments that invest in two-year college systems as part of their educational framework are directly forging ahead in intentional ways to meet goals 4.3 and 8 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals as they result in the development of graduates who are entrepreneurial-minded.
While some institutions may have prominent university names or prestige, two-year institutions in the form of training programs or vocational skills training create a shorter time frame for workforce readiness allowing graduates to secure jobs where they can support themselves and their families.
Families look for excellent value when it comes to education and it will be a disservice not to explore two-year college options.
Let’s be honest, what these institutions may seemingly lack in prestige will make a difference when they have equipped students with in-demand skills for ‘today’s’ labor market of skilled and practical labor.
When it comes to the African continent, a two-year college program is rare and the concept has been slower to take root for a myriad of reasons, including but not limited to, government funding of the model. However, you can find specific vocational, technical, or agricultural programs in locations such as Ghana and Ethiopia. The other area you might find a two-year program is a military training academy.
For families to value the two-year college system in their country, it means the government (Ministries of Education) also needs to do its part to acknowledge the gap, create the space and room for two-year institutions in existing higher education models, and support these institutions.
Support looks like this:
- providing a budget for government-sponsored schools
- licensing and operational charters for private schools
- providing accreditation and regulation for these higher education institutions
- planning micro- and macro-level support from the ministry
- using its influence in the public and private sectors to develop and validate two-year institutions
To reiterate, these institutions will offer flexible pathways for education and youth development.
- Graduates of two-year college programs would enter the workforce as skilled and qualified employees with specialized skills.
- Graduates should have the option to transfer coursework for continued education at local public or private universities.
- Graduates can use their skills, talents, and knowledge to start an entrepreneurial venture to fill a market gap or growing demand sector.
Understanding these three outcomes of a two-year college system, governments, and education ministries in emerging nations should be obliged to seriously consider augmenting their education models to include such options.
Two-year college systems often offer an equal level of education for workforce preparation or boost education skills for university. It, in many ways, supports the development programs in nations and creates greater equity in the education markets of the nations.
The affordability of two-year college systems and models allows youth to be educated with valuable skills and knowledge for the workplace, continued education, or starting entrepreneurship ventures.
In the end, these institutions contribute to the goal of nation-building, workforce development, and economic growth.
If you are a higher education institution or organization seeking to work on the SDGs and need assistance in the area of strategic planning, organizational assessment, student-centered principles integration, or staff training, connect with me or view our website for consulting resources.
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