This report describes a study of healthcare training programs that CCRC conducted to understand the current role that community colleges play in training healthcare workers, including public health workers. In an analysis of 2019-20 data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the authors examine the range and types of healthcare programs offered by postsecondary institutions and the number and characteristics of students who graduate from these programs. Findings from the study provide policymakers and community college leaders a better understanding of the role community colleges currently play and their potential to take on greater responsibility in training healthcare workers.
An online interactive data visualization tool using IPEDS data, available from the accompanying blog post, focuses on three areas:
- Sector comparison: What percent of schools in each postsecondary sector offer instructional programming in healthcare fields? What is the community college market share of schools, programs, and graduates?
- Community college program access: Which instructional programs are most offered in community colleges?
- Community college program graduates: What instructional programs do community college graduates earn credentials in?
Using the tool, users can explore each sector and access results by instructional program, state, and urbanicity of campus. Users can also explore the distribution of program graduates by award level and by student race/ethnicity and gender.