Education Providers and Career Opportunities

Education Providers and Career Opportunities

Over the past few years, the world today has significantly evolved. People are consistently acquiring new skills and thus having more value to add to society. Consequently, jobs have become more competitive, and opportunities are increasingly challenging to get. In turn, there is an increasing demand for education. However, not all individuals qualify for all levels of education. To ensure a place for all levels of education, education providers have created opportunities for various qualifications. Through the various education providers, students from all walks of life can acquire new skills and increase their overall success.

Every type of education provider has its rules on entry requirements depending on the course an individual intends to study. As such, the qualifications for the various entry levels vary with each institution of learning. Community college programs offer admittance to individuals with high school diplomas and have lower fee structures than universities (Flaga 2006). Courses take students depending on their grades upon graduation from high school. As such, there are specific courses that one may not qualify for if their high school grades do not meet the minimum requirements for the course. Similarly, universities admit students that have graduated from high school. However, universities also take in students that have graduated from community colleges, those with undergraduate degrees, and even masters degrees.

In contrast, professional organizations offer training to already established professionals. These organizations work towards the advancement of individuals in that line of work. For instance, a professional organization dedicated to the advancement of engineers may have training programs and forums for engineers geared towards equipping them with best practice, changing technologies, and ideas. These training forums can either be formal or informal, depending on the nature of training. However, unlike universities and community colleges, professional organizations offer certificates of participation. These certificates, depending on the organization providing them may or may not have a significant impact on an individual’s career in their field.

Community colleges offer various levels of education. According to Flaga (2006), these include two years courses, and in some instances, may provide that students can later upgrade to undergraduate degrees. Specifically, many of these certifications include baccalaureate degrees, associate degrees, and diploma certificates. Often, community colleges offer vocation training while also offering certificate programs for necessary skills. Such certificates can help students acquire basic level skills in an area.

Most community colleges are not as significantly equipped as universities and focus more on technical skills. Flaga (2006) mentions that community colleges offer specialized attention to students as class sizes are small. Also, community college instructors do not necessarily have doctorates in their specific fields. Many community college instructors have master’s degrees. Also, community college education strongly emphasizes practical skills and job placement as a prerequisite for graduation. In contrast, university programs offer training for higher-level skills and do not emphasize on practical skills.

Universities offer undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs. As stated earlier, their goal is to train people for higher skill positions such as managerial positions and senior positions. University graduates are significantly more marketable in the employment sector than community college graduates as they have more top skill sets. Jenkins & Fink (2016) hold that many people in the U.S. transfer from community college two-year programs to attain bachelor’s degrees. The certifications they offer are bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and doctorates. However, universities also provide micro-degree certifications that can help people increase their skill sets without having to complete degree programs.

The learning environment for university students differs from that of community colleges as the stakes are higher. Consequently, educators must have higher qualifications. Kelchner (2016), states that university instructors have a minimum requirement of a PhD. Typically, universities employ people with doctorates and professors as teachers. Moreover, universities prepare graduates for real-life careers and thus test the student’s responses to crises and possible work scenarios. Universities train people for managerial positions, while community colleges offer vocation training for lower-level skills and manual labor.

Professional organizations do not offer structured curriculum programs, as is the case with community colleges and universities. However, their goal is the advancement of careers within specified lines of work (Muzio, Aulakh & Kirkpatrick 2019). Moreover, these courses do not take in high school graduates; instead, they focus on trained professionals. The education programs that these organizations offer aim at updating professionals on best practices, innovations, government policies, and information concerning their profession. The learning environments for these organizations are in the form of seminars. Also, the instructors are not necessarily people with the highest level of education in the sector, preferably people with years of experience and reasonable access to industry trends and influence. Such programs offer certificates of participation or training certificates depending on the policies.

Education providers for adults include community colleges, universities, and professional organizations, among others. Each education provider offers a different form of certification for completion. Professional organizations provide certificates of participation, community colleges offer associate and baccalaureate degrees, and universities offer bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees. Each education provider has different requirements for enrollment. In turn, one’s level of education dictates their ease of access to higher employment opportunities, which improves the quality of life—as such, acquiring knowledge from colleges, universities, and professional organizations increase an individual’s chance of success.

References

Flaga, C. T. (2006). The process of transition for community college transfer students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 30(1), 3-19.

Jenkins, P. D., & Fink, J. (2016). Tracking transfer: New measures of institutional and state effectiveness in helping community college students attain bachelor’s degrees.

Kelchner, L. (2016). The Minimum Qualifications to Become a Professor. Retrieved from https://work.chron.com/minimum-qualifications-become-professor-1416.html

Muzio, D., Aulakh, S., & Kirkpatrick, I. (2019). Professional Occupations and Organizations. Elements in Organization Theory.