Postsecondary Education

Postsecondary education is more important to states than ever before. Within the next decade, nearly two-thirds of the jobs in the U.S. will require some form of college credential. To meet that demand, states must lead efforts to graduate more students from high-quality certificate and degree programs with the resources available.

The NGA Center’s Postsecondary team supports the development and implementation of strategies that activate state policy levers and leverage state resources for educational attainment and career development after high school. This includes short-term/industry credentials, apprenticeship pathways, degree completion efforts, skills-based training, and modernizing state data systems to meet the needs of evolving industry sectors. The team works to create and execute state-focused, high-quality technical assistance and peer learning opportunities to support Governors’ offices in maximizing the impact and effectiveness of their current postsecondary systems while exploring opportunities for innovation.

Meet the team

  • Amanda Winters, Program Director
  • Portia Pratt, Senior Policy Analyst
  • Abigail Rhim, Policy Analyst

NGA Resources

Energy Cyber Workforce Policy Brief

Energy Cyber Workforce Policy Brief

Governors play a critical role in creating pathways for cybersecurity professionals, through workforce development programs, reskilling efforts, public outreach, and raising awareness of cybersecurity job opportunities in the energy sector ...
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Governors Innovate to Spur Skills-Based Hiring

Governors Innovate to Spur Skills-Based Hiring

Bipartisan laws like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the CHIPS and Science Act are designed to support thousands of jobs in every state: Jobs upgrading infrastructure and expanding ...
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Governors Provide Student Supports to Address FAFSA Challenges

Governors Provide Student Supports to Address FAFSA Challenges

Governors across the country are committed to providing meaningful, accessible, and affordable postsecondary pathways to residents of their state. This includes providing robust state-based aid programs and quality counseling and ...
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State Longitudinal Data Ecosystem

State Longitudinal Data Ecosystem

The National Governors Association in partnership with the Data Quality Campaign is working with states in a new learning ecosystem to help Governors’ offices and other state officials better understand ...
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EV Workforce Collaborative

EV Workforce Collaborative

City and State leaders are presented with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform their communities thanks to historic federal investments in infrastructure, including those in the electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure ...
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Early Wins: A Tailored Tool For A Big Problem

Early Wins: A Tailored Tool For A Big Problem

Policymakers and technologists who are working to build learning and employment records talk about the ways they could transform how people navigate education and work—supercharging competency-based education, skills-based hiring, and ...
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Learning and Employment Records – States And The Infrastructure Of Opportunity

Learning and Employment Records – States And The Infrastructure Of Opportunity

Governors and other state leaders are concerned about the current labor shortage, occurring during a time when many skilled workers are underemployed or even unemployed. Skills-based approaches to hiring and ...
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Regional Workshops Explore Healthcare Workforce Solutions

Regional Workshops Explore Healthcare Workforce Solutions

During the past three months, NGA's Healthcare Delivery and Postsecondary Education teams convened teams from 20 states and territories in a series of regional workshops as part of the Next ...
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Governors Prioritize Postsecondary Education Pathways in 2023 State of the State Addresses

Governors Prioritize Postsecondary Education Pathways in 2023 State of the State Addresses

The vision for postsecondary education at the state level in the coming year is taking shape through Governors’ State of the State and inaugural addresses. To date, every speech has ...
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Expanding Child Care for Student Parents and Training Pathways for Early Childhood Educators

Expanding Child Care for Student Parents and Training Pathways for Early Childhood Educators

The NGA Center in partnership with Education Strategy Group held a virtual action lab focused on expanding access to and affordability of childcare for student parents and the development of ...
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Academic and Career Success – 2023 NGA Winter Meeting Task Force Meeting

Academic and Career Success – 2023 NGA Winter Meeting Task Force Meeting

At the 2023 NGA Winter Meeting, Idaho Governor Brad Little and Colorado Governor Jared Polis co-hosted a discussion on how Governors are working to meet the needs of students today ...
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Broadband

Broadband

Access to fast, reliable broadband is critical to households, businesses, and communities in the modern economy. The ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency has underscored the necessity of broadband access for ...
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