Workforce Transfer Myths

Did you know?

Q: Workforce programs are not designed to transfer and workforce students do not transfer.

• A: Workforce students are showing up at universities in great numbers. Each year the THECB Student/Adult Learner Follow-up Report finds that over 22,286 students from community college workforce programs are showing up at universities. They may not be immediately transferring after completing their workforce education. They usually work for some time. However, their jobs and the economy demand that they obtain further training in order to progress. They are going to universities since they wish to advance their careers, rather than merely remaining lateral.

Q: If so many workforce students are showing up at universities, there are no workforce transfer problems.

• A: Workforce students showing up at universities does not mean that their credits are transferring or that the transfer was easy. No, in most cases, great frustration has resulted in terrific loss of credit and much mis-advisement. The transfer pathways are not clear or are not very well developed. And yet, students know that they need to obtain the bachelor degree to progress in their careers. They are demanding that the universities respond and find a way to give them credit for what they have achieved.

Q: Workforce students are poorly-prepared students.

• A: Once workforce students transfer to the universities, graduation rate studies demonstrate that community college workforce transfers graduate at the same rate and with the same GPA or better than university native students.

Q: Workforce courses are not college-level and cannot be transferred.

• A: Workforce courses are college-level, all holding to a statewide common numbering system. Workforce associate degree students all have to demonstrate TASP competency in the same way as academic students do.

Q: The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association does not allow the transfer of community college workforce courses to universities.

• A: There is nothing in SACS or THECB guidelines which prevent universities from transferring any college-level course, academic or workforce, by articulation agreement. In fact, former Commissioner Don Brown of the THECB sent a letter to all universities encouraging them to transfer courses according to content only, not according to whether the course was workforce or academic. He stated, “We (THECB) strongly encourage universities to review potential transfer courses based on content and not on whether they are classified as academic or technical.”