Workforce
Excelencia in Education's mission is to accelerate Latino student success while increasing all student success in higher education—from college-to-career by strengthening pathways into the workforce, improving post-completion outcomes, and advancing the talent that drives our nation’s economy.
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Latino talent is vital to our workforce—particularly in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM), where innovation and creativity converge to drive economic growth. As artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates changes across industries, the future of work will rely on an interdisciplinary workforce that pairs technical expertise with uniquely human capabilities like creativity and collaboration. Integrating the arts into STEM is essential for national competitiveness; however, Latinos remain significantly underrepresented in these high-wage, high-growth sectors.
This brief is Excelencia’s roadmap for both employers and institutions to take action to ensure America’s future by advancing Latino talent, and highlighting the Top 25 institutions at each credential level as leading places to recruit and source this talent.
The top 5 institutions awarding STEAM credentials to Latinos across all credential levels are:
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Miami Dade College in Florida (FL)
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Dallas College (TX)
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Central New Mexico Community College (NM)
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Valencia College (FL)
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Lone Star College System (TX)
Advancing Post-Completion Success
Post-Completion Success: How Leading HSIs Are Transforming Career Readiness
As the Latino population grows, their educational and career success is tied to the nation’s economic prosperity. Despite current discourse that calls to question the value of higher education today, research continues to show that a college degree increases lifetime earnings, job stability, and long-term well-being. For Latino students, degrees can transform life trajectories—not only for individuals but for entire families. Strengthening pathways from college to career for Latino, and all, students is key to our country, future workforce, and advancing economic mobility.
In this brief, Excelencia in Education identified three key post-completion strategies from engaging with institutions in the Excelencia in Action network—preparing Latino, and all, students for success beyond graduation, linking them to meaningful workforce opportunities, and measuring post-completion outcomes.
Expand Your Knowledge about Workforce with Excelencia
How does data on Latino college completion inform U.S. workforce needs?
Data inform the profile of Latino students in higher education and the institutions graduating them. As Latino college enrollment and completion continue to rise nationwide, understanding these trends is essential to meeting current and future workforce demands and strengthening the country’s economic competitiveness.
How do we close the opportunity gap and why does this matter for the workforce?
Closing the opportunity gap requires a tactical plan for accelerating, not just increasing, Latinos’ degree attainment. Latino students represent a young, fast-growing group of college-goers and are central to the nation’s future workforce. Investing in Latino college completion strengthens the talent, expands access to skilled workers across sectors, and ensures the U.S. can meet its future civic leadership and workforce needs
How are leading Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) supporting Latino, and all, students beyond degree completion?
HSIs are expanding their commitment to Latino student success beyond enrollment and graduation by intentionally incorporating workforce preparation and post-completion efforts into their institutional efforts and strategic plans. Through career-aligned learning, partnerships with employers, and pathways from college to career, HSIs are helping Latino, and all, graduates transition into the workforce.
All Workforce Resources
This compilation of publications represents work Excelencia has released in relation to Latinos in the workforce in the following categories:
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Latinos in the Workforce
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HSIs and Workforce
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Post-Completion Efforts at HSIs
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Finding Your Workforce
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Latino College Completion
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