Recently, Transform Consulting Group blogged about new research showing that by 2020, 65% of jobs will require at least some college education. This month, Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation announced that 20 communities would be the organization’s first partners in a new initiative designed to help communities and regions dramatically increase the number of local residents with postsecondary credentials.
The collaborative effort connects participating cities with significant technical and planning assistance, data tools, flexible funding, and special access to a robust network of national thought leaders to establish attainment goals and work with national partners to develop an action plan. The 20 cities include Columbus and Ft. Wayne, Indiana, along with Albuquerque, Boston, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Dayton, Greensboro, Houston, Kalamazoo, Louisville, Memphis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Quad Cities in Iowa and Illinois, San Antonio, Santa Ana, South Seattle/South King County, and Syracuse.
The overall effort connects to Goal 2025, a national goal to increase the percentage of Americans with high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by 2025. Based in Indianapolis, the Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation committed to increasing the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates, and other credentials to 60 percent by 2025. Lumina’s outcomes-based approach focuses on helping to design and build an accessible, responsive, and accountable higher education system while fostering a national sense of urgency for action to achieve Goal 2025.
At Transform Consulting Group, we see how increasing college completion rates improves local economies, the quality of life, and the well-being of neighborhoods and families. We work with several organizations focused on increasing the postsecondary degree attainment rate for different populations. Interested in finding new ways your organization can improve its community impact? Contact Transform Consulting Group today for a free consultation!
