Inside INdiana Business is reporting that Ivy Tech Community College is reporting an increase in the completion of credentials among students for the 2017-2018 academic year. The college says it awarded 25,803 certificates, technical certificates and associate degrees to more than 18,000 students, an increase of more than 4,500 credentials over the previous year.
The number is also 22 percent higher than the goal from Ivy Tech’s 2018 strategic plan. The college says a large portion of the credentials were technical certificates, which have increased 56 percent since 2016.
“There has never been a more important time to surpass our completion goal as Indiana employers are seeking qualified, credentialed employees to fill high-wage jobs,” said Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann. “We appreciate our partnership with employers as we develop together the short-term certificates, technical certificates, and associate degrees needed in the workplace. Earning short-term credentials, which stack within an associate degree program, provides students with an immediate pathway to begin a career while continuing their associate or bachelor’s degree, in fields where employers are eager for talent.”
Ivy Tech says the industry credentials that saw the highest percentages of year-over-year growth include information technology (75 percent), business, logistics and supply chain (45 percent), advanced manufacturing (42 percent), and healthcare (18 percent). The increase in credentials, according to the college, is also due to students earning their credential and transferring to a four-year institution, with Ivy Tech’s “Transfer as a Junior” program seeing a 187 percent jump in earned associate degrees.
Ivy Tech says the numbers show the college is on its way to completing the five-year strategic planannounced in January, which aims to deliver 50,000 high-quality certifications and degrees.