Here are three reports to know about this month:

1. Individuals who left their jobs voluntarily since the start of the Covid pandemic were more likely to enroll in postsecondary education than those who lost their jobs, according to a new Strada Education Network report from the Strada Education Network. The biggest influence on voluntary job switchers to enroll was whether they thought the program would result in a good-paying job or opportunities for career advancement, says the report, which is based on a spring 2022 survey of 4,500 adults between ages 18 and 65 about the employment and education changes they have experienced since the start of the pandemic. A full 80% of those who enrolled indicated economic opportunity influenced them, followed by program flexibility (69%) and work-based learning opportunities (48%).
2. The Covid pandemic significantly dampened transfers among all higher education institutions, but especially among public two-year college students, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center. Upward transfer rates dropped -9.7% (about 86,000 students) over two years, with the bulk (-7.5%) coming in the second year of the pandemic, the report shows. Students at associate-degree-granting colleges who didn’t earn their two-year degree before transferring declined -9.3% (49,900 students) over the two years; among students who earned their degree prior to transferring, the decline — which occurred mostly in the second year — was -10.3% (36,100 students). Lateral transfers among two-year colleges also saw larger declines, totaling -21.3% (113,300 students) during the two years.
3. Work-based learning (WBL) opportunities – especially paid internships – can benefit community college students. A New America report looks at internship programs at five community colleges: Middlesex Community College, Salt Lake Community College, San Antonio College, Cuyahoga Community College and Bunker Hill Community College. The report also offers recommendations for community college leaders and state policymakers about WBL, including “reconsider student populations historically excluded from paid WBL opportunities” and “implement a starting $15 hourly base salary and redressing students’ basic needs insecurity”.