ICAPP study shows FC graduates have positive effects on economy
By Lindy Dugger
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Assistant Editor
A new report on higher education in Georgia shows that graduates with an associate degree from Georgia Highlands College in the workforce will earn an average of $8,000 more than workers with only a high school diploma. In addition, the study shows that Georgia Highlands College graduates impact the Northwest Georgia economy by more than $6 million annually.
Commissioned by the University System of Georgia's Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP), researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology analyzed data from nearly 90 thousand University System of Georgia students who graduated between 1993 and 1997.
The study, entitled �The Value of University System of Georgia Education,� showed that a Georgia Highlands College graduate's average yearly salary is $29,221, which is 25 percent higher than that of a worker with only a high school education. Graduates who hold bachelor's degrees on average earn up to 40 percent more than workers with only a high school diploma.
In addition, the study showed that during 1998�the most recent year the data was available�the increased earnings from those with college degrees added $1.25 billion dollars to the Georgia economy.
�The region's major employers are beginning to realize the value of a high level of general educational background compared to a high level of skills training,� said Dr. Randy Pierce, president of Georgia Highlands College. �Too often, skills training will limit the employee (and employer) to a certain set of skills, while a general educational background, such as an associate degree, provides a foundation that enables the employee to communicate, to read and comprehend, to work in teams, and to learn and adapt to ever-changing skills requirements. This report puts impressive dollar figures to that contention.�
The research also projects that by 2010, nearly 50 percent of the jobs in the work force will require an associate degree, while over 60 percent will require a bachelor's degree or higher.
According to the study, fields currently in very high demand for college graduates are elementary school teaching, healthcare and information technology (IT).
Of these, healthcare is the most in need of educationally qualified persons to fill openings. Roughly 32 percent of these openings are left unfilled each year, totaling to around 2,000 jobs. Three of the four occupations experiencing the greatest shortages are on an associate degree level� medical records and health information technicians, medical laboratory technicians and registered nurses.
�Georgia Highlands College has moved aggressively to meet the local demand for workers in these three areas,� said Pierce. �In addition to associate degrees in nursing, education and IT, partnerships with senior University System of Georgia institutions have provided bachelor degree offerings at Georgia Highlands College in these critical areas.�
This year Georgia Highlands College will award over 90 students an Associate of Science Degree in Nursing.
The ICAPP study finds that those in the nursing profession with an associate degree earn $10,000 more annually than those without a degree.
�Since the inception of the Nursing Program at Georgia Highlands College in the 1970s, community support has been essential in terms of increased capacity�to hire additional faculty, to increase class sizes�all an effort to meet the increasing demand for health care professionals,� said Pierce. �We are also pleased with the current partnership with Darton College, which has allowed for us to offer an Associate Degree in Medical Laboratory Technology to meet the demand for yet another healthcare profession which is in high demand.�
The Department of Labor forecasts that in the near future the top three occupations requiring higher-level education will be accounting and auditing, registered nursing and computer support specialization.
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