Representative Tony McCombie is helping spread the word about a new website launched this week linking employment and higher education data so users can compare the relative earnings value of college degrees.
The planning tool (http://ILCollege2Career.com) was unveiled by the Governor at his quarterly Children’s Cabinet meeting on Thursday. The data is broken down by schools and area of study, so that students may compare the earnings potential of degree programs from different public and private institutions in the state. ILCollege2Career.com is the product of collaboration between the Governor’s Office, Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES).
“ILCollege2Career.com is groundbreaking for our state,” Governor Bruce Rauner said while introducing the tool to cabinet members at the meeting at Springfield High School. “Education has been my top investment priority for many years. In order to grow our economy, we need to give our young people the best education system possible, so they will choose to live, learn and work here in Illinois.”
All 48 community colleges and 60+ four-year universities in Illinois participated in the project. “As a state, we are moving away from just gathering data for compliance purposes to using data to transform decision-making at the local, regional and state level,” said Karen Hunter Anderson, executive director of the Illinois Community College Board.
“The Illinois College2Career tool gives high school students and parents, as well as nontraditional students, more transparent and easily accessible information about their post-secondary choices and careers.”
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