Louisiana is No. 1 in the nation for the percentage of adults with a high-quality post-secondary certificate, according to a recent Lumina Foundation report. Also, the state’s overall ranking for the adults earning a certificate improved from last in the nation to 26th.
The News Star reports the drastic move up the rankings comes from a push for more credential opportunities in career and technical education.
The Lumina Foundation, a private foundation based in Indianapolis dedicated to increasing the number of Americans with degrees and certificates, released the ranking as part of its “A Stronger Nation” report in April.
According to the report Louisiana now has the highest percentage in the nation of working adults ages 25-64 holding a high-quality post-secondary certificate as their highest level of attainment.
“Not often do we get to make claims like that in Louisiana,” Monty Sullivan, president of the Louisiana Community & Technical College System, told members of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Tuesday.
Sullivan cited Lumina’s findings as he testified before the committee to discuss ways to strengthen career and technical education. He also told members of Congress that certificates helped Louisiana move from 50th to 26th in post-secondary attainment rate.
“A key factor in that dramatic improvement was inclusion for the first time of less-than-associate-degrees credentials,” Sullivan said.
