PATHWAYS TO CREDENTIAL FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS IN MARYLAND - COLLEGES OFFER MORE THAN DEGREE PROGRAMS - March 2025

Oct 15, 2026

Report on pathways to workforce credentials for college students in Maryland, highlighting how job needs often extend beyond high school but do not necessarily require a four-year degree. It explains the community college role in workforce training and quantifies outcomes, including the profile of completers and common completion patterns. The document outlines key definitions such as completers, completion, and non-traditional students, traces links from prior college credit to workforce training, and presents policy recommendations. It also details Maryland’s data collection efforts and investment in skills training.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Overview and State Workforce Training Need

Community College Workforce Training Outcomes

Completer Profile and Completion Patterns

Key Terms and Student Categories

Completers, Completion, Non-Traditional Students

Pathways From College Degree to Workforce Training

Opportunities and Successes for Maryland

Policy Recommendations

Data Collection Efforts and Systems

Continued Investment in Skills Training

PATHWAYS TO CREDENTIAL FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS IN MARYLAND: COLLEGES OFFER MORE THAN DEGREE PROGRAMS PATHWAYS TOA CREDENTIAL FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS IN MARYLAND: COLLEGES OFFER MORE THAN DEGREE PROGRAMS March 2025 According to the National Skills Coalition, almost half of all jobs in Maryland require knowledge and skills beyond high school but not a four-year degree. A key solution to fill this gap between demand and supply is to strengthen and develop workforce training programs within the state’s existing post-secondary education systems[1]. Maryland’s community colleges play an integral role in the management and development of non-degree workforce training programs across the state. All sixteen community colleges offer a vast array of workforce education programs from health care to information technology. In 2022, Maryland community colleges collectively produced 19,700 workforce training awards. This represents 52% of post-secondary credentials the community colleges awarded that year. A Snapshot of a Completer In academic year 2021-2022, 15,857 students completed an approved workforce training program in a Maryland community college. Two out of three of these completers were minorities and over half were women. The median age of these students was 37. A little more than half of them completed a workforce credential in less than 60 hours. Of these completers, close to 23% completed some workforce credential in health care, approximately 17% in business/management/marketing, and 8% in homeland security/public safety. Key Terms: Completers: Students enrolled in Maryland community colleges who have successfully completed a course or series of courses in an approved workforce certificate program leading to apprenticeships, employment, licensure, or job s kill enhancement. Should a student complete more than one course type or sequence type, they are counted only once as a completer. Completion: The number of courses or sequence of courses in an approved workforce certificate program leading to apprenticeships, employment, licensure, or job s kill enhancement the student completed in a given academic year. As such, if a student completes more than one course or sequence, their completion will be counted multiple times. Non-Traditional Students: Students who are characterized as nontraditional are often older students (over the age of 24), have family responsibilities, and work full-time. Some College, No Credential: Students who left post-secondary education without receiving a creditbearing credential and who are no longer enrolled. From College Degree to Workforce Training Of these completers, 27% have some previous college credit experience: Some earned a credit award or degree prior-Almost 9% of completers with prior college experience have previously earned an award ranging from doctoral degrees to lower division certificates. Of these students who had earned a credit award, they went on to earn a workforce credential after completing their degree. Others enrolled in credit courses but did not finish a degree-About 18% of workforce completers with previous college credit experience enrolled in at least one credit bearing course in the past decade. Notably, 77% of these “some college, no credential”students were enrolled part-time in their credit-bearing program, putting them at a higher risk of dropping out [2]. In fact, lack of time is one of the reasons cited by college drop outs for leaving post-secondary education. Among the draws workforce training may have on college dropouts is the short time frame for completing a credential. Of these “some college” workforce completers almost 23% earned some licensure or industry certification as part of their program completion, putting them on a clear path to post completion employment[3]. 27% of Completers Have Previous “Credit” Experiences Opportunities and Successes for Maryland [5] . Opportunities and Successes for Maryland In 2023,

FAQs

Why does the report emphasize workforce training beyond a four-year degree?

It argues that many Maryland jobs require skills and knowledge beyond high school, while not all roles require a four-year degree, creating a demand-supply gap that workforce training can address.

What does the report say about who completes workforce training programs?

It reports that in 2021–2022, thousands of students completed approved workforce training, with completers disproportionately being minorities and women, and with many completing credentials in under 60 hours.

How does the report connect prior college credit experience to workforce training completion?

It notes that a portion of completers had previous credit experience, with some having earned prior awards and others enrolling in credit courses but not finishing a degree, and it links these pathways to later workforce credentials such as licensure or industry certification.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aria Callaghan