Postsecondary Access

Pennsylvania’s young people need to continue their education beyond high school.  A traditional high school diploma is not enough anymore for the modern workforce. Careers in the competitive, global economy require education and skills that can only be obtained through postsecondary education.

Jobs for high school graduates, without any postsecondary education, are disappearing and those that remain do not provide self/family-sustaining wages. 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that by 2020, the U.S. will face a shortage of 20 million qualified workers for the fastest growing job sectors – including health care and technology.  In Pennsylvania there exists a significant disconnect between the education and skill requirements of jobs and the educational attainment of our workers. 75 percent of the jobs in the Commonwealth require workers with education beyond high school, yet only about half of the workforce currently has any postsecondary education. 

We know our young people need postsecondary education to be successful and to earn enough to sustain themselves and their families.  However, Pennsylvania is the sixth most expensive state in the nation to attend college and our college graduates are saddled with the seventh-highest average student load debt in the nation — nearly $27,000.

We must take steps to make college more affordable for all of our young people.

For more information, please contact Bill Bartle at bbartle@papartnerships.org.