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Opinion: College Student Enrollment should Reflect our Changing Workforce
Although the Hispanic population is growing faster than any other ethnic group, the number of annual Hispanic graduates from top-level colleges continues to lag behind. Who then will fill the key positions that are now being held by some of the 78 million baby-boomers expecting retirement within the next 20 years?
Human resource department heads at several Fortune 100 companies have noted that the number of qualified Hispanic candidates is too small to fill their current job openings. These directors blame the scarcity of qualified candidates to the large young Hispanic population that currently fills our public high schools but not our colleges. While public high school enrollments have exceeded 50%, top-level colleges show only single-digit percentages for Hispanic enrollments. Without taking into account those colleges located within our southern States, the data suggests that the number of Hispanic students who are first time degree candidates will be too low to meet the increasing demand for job openings left behind by our retiring baby boomers.
A study presented by the White House last year stated that for every six pensioners, only one wage earner would be available to support their monthly pension if the supply of minority professionals (i.e. Hispanic) were to remain at current levels. With a growing need for more wage earners, one can expect the forces of supply and demand to coerce universities to seek out more Hispanic candidates.
Although college web pages talk up their recruiting efforts for Hispanic candidates, the actual enrollment numbers from year to year continue to show slow progress. For example, at Colgate University located in Hamilton, NY. the student body includes a mere 1.7% of Hispanics. Other similarly prestigious institutions are as follows: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) at 6.3%, Boston University 6.7%, University of Virginia 4.4%, Georgia Tech 4.2%, and Yale University 5.7%.
These surprisingly low Hispanic enrollment numbers should be cause for alarm. If high schools are bulging with Hispanic students, when will their presence become more prominent at college levels nationally? Also, if colleges fail to integrate more Hispanics within their student body, how prepared will their students become when they enter a far more diverse workforce? ...and finally, where will qualified Hispanics get the funds to attend these top-level colleges?
Unless businesses and government agencies work together to fund programs for qualified candidates, top-level colleges will continue to have difficulty meeting their target numbers for Hispanic enrollments. In addition, with the level of tuition rising faster than inflation, funding for both tuition and board will eventually require a sustainable contributing Hispanic alumni base.
Tom Kadala is the president of ResearchPAYS, Inc., a strategic business consulting firm dedicated to the development and expansion of Hispanic consumer markets.
Email: tom@researchpays.net
Company Profile: ResearchPays Inc
Blog: Tom Kadala on the Hispanic Consumer
Company URL:
http://www.researchpays.net
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