Examining the Postgraduate Labor Market Success of Black and Latino/a/e Community College Baccalaureate Graduates

• In Event: Examining Community College Baccalaureates (CCBs) as Tools for Social Mobility and Equity

Abstract

States across the nation are approving community college baccalaureate (CCB) programs to provide accessible pathways to baccalaureate degrees and fulfill economic/workforce needs (Petek, 2020). This addition to community colleges is deemed as a valuable option in increasing social mobility for students of color. For example, in Florida, Meza and Love (2023) report that over 83% percent of CCB program graduates are employed within four quarters after graduation. The state also showed encouraging results for students of color who completed the CCB program, as they experienced significant wage gains compared to those who earned associate degrees (Love, 2020; Meza & Love, 2023). Given the promise of CCB programs to address racial social mobility gaps, research should further examine postgraduate outcomes, particularly for students of color, in other states that are rapidly expanding CCB programs.
The California community college system is known for its diversity, with over 70% of its students identifying as a student of color (California Community College Chancellor’s Office, 2021). In 2014, Senate Bill 850 approved 15 community college baccalaureate pilot programs to contribute to the production of one million more baccalaureate degrees to maintain a competitive workforce (Senate Bill 850, 2014). As of 2022, Hoang et al. revealed that California CCB programs enroll a large percentage of Black and Latino/a/e students, comprising 5% percent and 30% percent respectively. However, there is a need to address their labor market experiences and outcomes post-graduation.

This paper aims to provide insight into how California CCB programs impact the social mobility of Black and Latino/a/e graduates. This data primarily comes from Employment Outcomes Surveys (n = 459) that were administered by the first 15 California CCB programs to the graduating CCB classes of 2018, 2019, and 2020. This survey includes CCB students’ demographic data, as well as labor market experiences and outcomes at least one year after their graduation. The California CCB colleges also provided enrollment and graduation data of all CCB students in the first five cohorts (2016-2020).

After conducting a descriptive analysis, results showed that there were notable differences in labor market experiences and outcomes for Black and Latino/a/e California CCB graduates. In Figure 1, it is evident that Black graduates experience lower employment rates and wage gains compared to the state average. Specifically, their employment rate is 59%, while the state average is 83% and their wage gain is $5,400, compared to the state average of $20,700. On the other hand, Latino/a/e graduates have a higher employment rate of 89%, which is six percentage points higher than the state average. However, as shown in Figure 2, their wage gain is $3,200 less than the state average. Although the initial success of California CCB programs must be acknowledged, this paper suggests that it is critical to disaggregate the data by race and ethnicity to address the disparities among students of color and determine the impact of these baccalaureate programs on their postgraduate success.

Authors

• Liza Chavac, Santa Ana College

• Davis Vo, University of California - Los Angeles

• Cecilia Rios-Aguilar, University of California - Los Angeles