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

  • Portia Pratt, Senior Policy Analyst
  • Grace Burns, Policy Coordinator

NGA Resources

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 ...
Read More
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 ...
Read More
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 ...
Read More
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 ...
Read More
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 ...
Read More
Governors Leading on Improving College Completion

Governors Leading on Improving College Completion

Increasing college attainment has a clear impact on not only the lifetime earnings of an individual but also on the economic returns to the state. by Amanda Winters and Jack ...
Read More
Skills-Driven State Community of Practice

Skills-Driven State Community of Practice

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), in partnership with Jobs for the Future (JFF), has launched a project to help Governors’ offices and other senior state ...
Read More
Next Generation of the Healthcare Workforce Project

Next Generation of the Healthcare Workforce Project

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices is working with States in a new learning collaborative on strategies to grow and retain the next generation of the healthcare workforce ...
Read More
Pre-Apprenticeship Action Lab

Pre-Apprenticeship Action Lab

National Governors Association, in partnership with Education Strategy Group, and thanks to support from the Siemens Foundation, hosted its fourth in a series of Action Labs as part of its ...
Read More
Governors Leading on Supporting Student Loan Borrowers

Governors Leading on Supporting Student Loan Borrowers

Governors will continue to provide borrowers in their states with resources and guardrails that promote successful repayment and leverage student debt policy interventions to bolster their state workforce. For the ...
Read More
States Collaborate to Combat Health Worker Shortage

States Collaborate to Combat Health Worker Shortage

14 states join National Governors Association (NGA) program focused on strategies to grow and retain the next generation of the health care workforce. WASHINGTON – California, Colorado, Missouri and Wyoming ...
Read More
Postsecondary Education In 2022 State Of The State Addresses

Postsecondary Education In 2022 State Of The State Addresses

Funding, student support, apprenticeships and diverse career pathways were the most common focuses, but other issues including mental health, broadband and the aim to provide equal educational opportunity were emphasized ...
Read More
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognizing you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Please see our privacy policy for more information.