Career Pathways and Economic Mobility at California's Community Colleges. Technical Appendices

Career education programs in California's community colleges are a critical component of public higher education in the state. Also known as career technical or vocational programs, career education trains individuals for middle-skill jobs that require more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year degree. These jobs make up a third of California's labor market today and are projected to make up a similar share in the future. Career education credentials, such as associate degrees and certificates, typically take less time to complete and offer lower economic payoffs than bachelor's degrees. But career education can also connect students to career pathways that offer opportunities for advancement--particularly important for workers with lower levels of education and those in need of retraining. In the full report to these technical appendices, the author examines whether career education pathways improve students' long-term earnings and the factors associated with wage gains. The analysis uses detailed student records that reflect enrollment and completion in career education programs as well as earnings before and after students finish their credentials. The contents of the technical appendices include: (1) Data Sources; (2) Geographies; (3) Sample Construction and Sample Statistics; (4) Analysis of Wage Trajectories; and (5) Analysis of Middle-Skill Job Growth and Industries. [The authors received research support from Courtney Lee. For the full report "Career Pathways and Economic Mobility at California's Community Colleges," see ED598079.]