Dive Brief:
- For-profit boot camp company Udacity asserts that its graduates will find gainful employment within six months of completing its programs, or the company will give students a full return on tuition payment.
- Some states such as New York and California prohibit such guarantees, and while states frequently work with the federal government to monitor such claims, there is little room for punitive response against those companies operating without accreditation or which don't receive federal financial aid for training.
- Supporters say the guarantees offer a different level of accountability for institutions based on the quality of students that their education can produce.
Dive Insight:
Companies like Udacity can guarantee employment after graduation because they also serve as job placement resources for contract work or employment within the enterprise. And this could be the future of higher education accountability and support and could become a bipartisan effort to reduce wasteful spending on college capital development and executive overhead.
The foundation set by the Obama administration, when paired with the assumed approaches of the Trump administration, sends every signal that the country will soon begin to invest in or to take more seriously those schools that teach trade and establish partnerships in industries that allow easier job access, and reduces tax payer support for higher education.
