Postsecondary Education

Postsecondary education is more important to states than ever before. Within the next decade, nearly two-thirds of the jobs in the U.S. will require some form of college credential. To meet that demand, states must lead efforts to graduate more students from high-quality certificate and degree programs with the resources available.

The NGA Center’s Postsecondary team supports the development and implementation of strategies that activate state policy levers and leverage state resources for educational attainment and career development after high school. This includes short-term/industry credentials, apprenticeship pathways, degree completion efforts, skills-based training, and modernizing state data systems to meet the needs of evolving industry sectors. The team works to create and execute state-focused, high-quality technical assistance and peer learning opportunities to support Governors’ offices in maximizing the impact and effectiveness of their current postsecondary systems while exploring opportunities for innovation.

Meet the team

  • Amanda Winters, Program Director
  • Portia Polk, Senior Policy Analyst
  • Abigail Rhim, Policy Analyst
  • Eric Aboodi, Policy Coordinator

NGA Resources

New Report: Growing Number of States Drop Degree Requirements

New Report: Growing Number of States Drop Degree Requirements

National Governors Association study examines state impacts of skills-based practices WASHINGTON, D.C. – Skills-based job postings rapidly increase when states drop degree requirements for public sector jobs, according to a ...
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Empowering Progress: Harnessing Skills-Based Strategies to Drive Public Sector Excellence

Empowering Progress: Harnessing Skills-Based Strategies to Drive Public Sector Excellence

The public sector plays a key role in advancing skills-based strategies, driven by gubernatorial leadership. Whether in the early stages or more advanced in their adoption of skills-based policies and ...
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Governors Prioritizing Financial Literacy

Governors Prioritizing Financial Literacy

The importance of financial literacy is clear. It allows people to make informed decisions related to budgeting, saving, borrowing and investing, ensuring that individuals live within their means, while simultaneously ...
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Resources for Financial Literacy

Resources for Financial Literacy

Governors are working to increase financial literacy in their states. The following resources can be used as tools by Governors and their staff to guide and support their constituents as ...
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Education for Life – A Conversation with Dr. Steven Levitt

Education for Life – A Conversation with Dr. Steven Levitt

Measuring outcomes is one of the primary goals of NGA Chair Colorado Governor Jared Polis’ “Let’s Get Ready: Educating All Americans for Success” initiative. How are we measuring outcomes to ...
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Insights and Opportunities on Public Sector Skills Based Strategy Efforts

Insights and Opportunities on Public Sector Skills Based Strategy Efforts

Since 2021, Governors in more than twenty states have taken steps to remove unnecessary bachelor’s degree requirements for jobs in the public sector. This momentum for innovation, spurred by a ...
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Cybersecurity Credentialing and Education Resources

Cybersecurity Credentialing and Education Resources

As the risk of cyber-attacks increases, it is crucial that Governors support the development of a strong cybersecurity workforce by understanding the current workforce, identifying critical roles, developing career pathways ...
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Getting Ready for Let’s Get Ready at the 2024 NGA Summer Meeting

Getting Ready for Let’s Get Ready at the 2024 NGA Summer Meeting

For those who don’t know, the National Governors Association is bipartisan – and not just as a veneer. It is literally built into the structure of the organization, with an ...
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Energy Cyber Workforce Policy Brief

Energy Cyber Workforce Policy Brief

Governors play a critical role in creating pathways for cybersecurity professionals, through workforce development programs, reskilling efforts, public outreach, and raising awareness of cybersecurity job opportunities in the energy sector ...
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Governors Innovate to Spur Skills-Based Hiring

Governors Innovate to Spur Skills-Based Hiring

Bipartisan laws like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the CHIPS and Science Act are designed to support thousands of jobs in every state: Jobs upgrading infrastructure and expanding ...
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Governors Provide Student Supports to Address FAFSA Challenges

Governors Provide Student Supports to Address FAFSA Challenges

Governors across the country are committed to providing meaningful, accessible, and affordable postsecondary pathways to residents of their state. This includes providing robust state-based aid programs and quality counseling and ...
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State Longitudinal Data Ecosystem

State Longitudinal Data Ecosystem

The National Governors Association in partnership with the Data Quality Campaign is working with states in a new learning ecosystem to help Governors’ offices and other state officials better understand ...
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