Higher Ed Can Help More Young Adults Get Good Jobs by Age 30, Report Finds

If all eligible workers entered a bachelor’s degree program by the age of 22, roughly 765,000 more young adults would hold good jobs by age 30, according to a new report from the Georgetown University (DC) Center on Education and the Workforce. Georgetown researchers developed a policy simulation model that identified turning points in young adults’ lives that can elevate them to good jobs. Several of those focus on educational attainment, like starting a certificate or associate’s degree by age 22 or earning a bachelor’s degree by age 26 after previously working toward a certificate or associate degree. Other turning points center on workforce development, such as specializing in career and technical education in high school and working a blue-collar job at age 22.