Workforce Preparation and Employment Outcomes
Employment Outcomes: Virginia
What Is Measured?
Employment rates six months and two years later
Who Is Counted?
Virginia Community College students enrolled in spring 2007 and not enrolled in any two- or four-year institutions in fall 2007
What It Tells Us
Sixty-seven percent of spring 2007 Virginia Community College exiters were employed at the time they left their school. The percentage employed declined slightly six months later, to 65 percent. Two years later, the employment rate of exiters was even lower, at 59 percent. This decline may be due in part to the 2008 recession.
Why It's Important
Labor force participation is consistently associated with higher levels of education, even among those who do not complete a degree or certificate. While a number of states report employment outcomes for students who have enrolled in a community college or completed a community college degree or certificate, the way in which these outcomes are reported and the populations on which outcome measures are based vary widely, making it difficult to compare these measures across states.
About the Data
Exiters: Virginia Community College students enrolled in spring 2007 and not enrolled in any two- or four-year institutions in fall 2007. Graduates made up 7 percent of spring 2007 exiters.
Employment data come from Unemployment Insurance (UI) wage records from Virginia, Washington, DC, and the nearby states of Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. UI wage records do not include self-employed, military, and federal employees.