The media gives us an impression that the average college student is a teenager right out of high school, living on campus and attending class full-time. However, this image of what a “normal” college student looks like will drastically change in the near future. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the fastest-growing group of college students is adults over 25 who are often working and raising families. Though many of these non-traditional students fly under the radar, they encompass a whopping thirty-eight percent of today’s student body, and this percentage is projected to jump another twenty-three percent by.
So what does this mean for colleges and their students? It means change. As the economy continues to bottom out, students are reentering college because they have lost their jobs. Others are trying to stay competitive by building their networks, sharpening their skills and even switching to more lucrative careers. Colleges are adapting to these changes by providing online courses, associate’s programs and creating workforce readiness curriculum to accommodate the special needs of the growing non-traditional student body.
Non-traditional students have family responsibilities, greater financial obligations and often hold full-time jobs. They have already experienced what it’s like to be in the workforce and are coming back with more refined and specific professional goals in mind. These types of students are not just looking for the college experience, they are looking for guaranteed results. More and more, colleges are readjusting their programs to meet the specific expectations and needs of adult learners. How are they doing this? By making the curriculum more accessible, adaptable and focused on the skills required to fill in-demand jobs in today’s job market.
Just this past year, Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, launched a suit of online workforce training courses. These courses were created specifically to help adult learners better position themselves for higher paying jobs in high-demand fields such as healthcare and technology. The fact that these programs can be offered completely online makes it possible for adult learners to juggling multiple obligations while getting their education. Clearly the group of non-traditional students of America is growing faster than ever before, and colleges are finally responding to their needs. For students who are returning to college, the road is still not going to be easy, but they can be certain that the reward will be great.