Conclusion

Questions around the value, utility, and implications of short-term programs have rarely been as urgent as they are now. As of this writing, tens of millions of Americans are out of work, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing recession. The economic impacts have not been evenly experienced. Bachelor’s-degree holders were unemployed at about half the rate of those with some college but less than an associate degree (7.4 percent compared with 13.7 percent, as of June 2020), and Black and Hispanic workers with some college have experienced higher unemployment rates than white workers in the same category (17.6 percent for Black and Hispanic workers, and 11.1 percent for white workers, as of June 2020).¹ Lawmakers are desperate for solutions to get Americans back to work and kick-start the economy. And given that workers often respond to widespread unemployment by looking to build new skills, it is widely anticipated that workers will soon flood back to colleges, especially open-access institutions like community colleges and for-profit colleges.

But the research offers good reason to proceed with caution. Particularly as the labor market shifts and evolves, short-term credentials are not always a sure bet for workers and could wind up leaving students of color in particular out time and money without improved prospects for work or income. This landscape analysis provides an overview of that research and highlights the sizable gaps in our knowledge about the impact of short-term programs, in an effort to ensure policymakers know what information they need to make careful decisions about workers’ and students’ futures.