With the disastrous launch of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, many community colleges Students are facing a time crunch when it comes to preparing financial aid packages. At the same time, community colleges that used data to inform students about their eligibility for other government benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNJOBsNews), are now having to pause, leaving many students in a difficult situation. In this environment of extreme uncertainty, now is the time to think of new solutions to enable students to afford and have the time to continue their education. Paid work-based learning opportunities hold great promise to help fill the gap in addressing students’ basic needs.
Even though almost 75 percent of community college students are working, many still face significant financial insecurity. A 2017 Community College Equity Assessment Lab survey It found that one-third of community college students experienced housing insecurity and more than one in ten struggled to feed themselves and their families.
Over the past decade, there has been a growing comprehension How poverty and precariousness affect community colleges students” ability to complete their studies. In response, many universities have developed strategies to help their students access affordable housing, transportation, food, child care, and health care. Some universities have Housing built for students, and many have established food pantriesOthers have expanded student services to include help accessing public benefits, such as housing vouchers.
Over the same time period, there has also been a growing appreciation for the worth Work-based learning opportunities, such as internships, apprenticeships, and co-ops, are provided to students. These programs build work experience and professional networks. While people often think of this as the goal of paid work-based learning, community colleges should also prioritize that these opportunities holistically support students, given the population they serve. The first priority should be economic security, the second is academic progress, and the third is building a professional network.
What these students really need is more financial resources to meet their basic needs. Integrating work-based learning with the other support services offered by universities could go a long way toward providing students with the benefits of work-based learning while meeting their basic needs, allowing them to remain enrolled in college. Work-based learning opportunities could be restructured in several different ways.
First, community colleges could create long-term, work-based learning opportunities that last as long as a student is enrolled. We heard from students in focus groups conducted by New America last year that they didn’t feel like work-based learning was an option for them because the opportunities lasted only one semester, making it difficult to leave their current job. But colleges could design these opportunities to be more accessible to students who need to work. For example, Salt Lake Community College On-campus internship program offers a variety of paid positions on campus. These positions typically last for one semester, but may be renewed until the student graduates, provided they meet eligibility criteria.
Colleges could also ensure that students who participate in workplace learning opportunities are paid a local living wage and provide them with things like subsidies for health benefits through their college enrollment. As one student said, “You don’t want to go into a job… knowing that you’re not going to get paid much and you might not get anything in return in terms of experience or even insurance.” There is typically a large gap between a single adult’s living wage and the wage of workplace learning opportunities, which tend to pay around $15 per hour and preclude full-time work. These wages and hours are too low for many adults with families to live with and much less than they can earn in a different employment arrangement.
Of course, paying salaries at this level can be difficult. Community colleges must work to create specific funding from the state, employers, and philanthropic partners to get as close as possible. For example, Bunker Hill Community College guarantees its Learn and Earn Participants $18 an hour plus a travel stipend. While this is not a living wage in Boston, the university has shown it is committed to paying students more and increasing those wages over time.
Universities could also assess students’ current employment and see how it relates to their career. In our focus groups, several students worked in related fields with employers who were very supportive of them. By working with these employers, the university could create an enhanced learning experience in the job the student already has. Universities could then add additional support for basic needs if the student is struggling to make ends meet with this job.
At the same time, colleges could identify working students who are dissatisfied with their current jobs and are struggling to make ends meet. They could connect these students with basic needs resources and career services to explore workplace learning opportunities or jobs related to their field of study. These opportunities could offer economic stability and allow students to begin their career path in their field of interest.
Community college students are more likely to be working, supporting their families, and insecure about food or housing than students at four-year institutions. But that doesn’t mean they should be excluded from work-based learning opportunities. Instead, we should use work-based learning to make students more secure in covering the cost of their basic needs while still providing them with the clear benefits of work experience related to their field of study. Given the confusion surrounding the implementation of the FAFSA, this redesign is more urgent than ever.
Iris Palmer is the director of community colleges with the education policy program at New America.
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