| Unemployment figures across the country continue to | | | | Kevin Fleming, director of the San Bernardino |
| spike, leaving many jobless individuals to find ways to | | | | Community College's Center of Excellence, said that |
| enhance their qualifications to remain competitive in the | | | | specified vocational degrees may be the key to a |
| thin job market. In today's economy, however, very | | | | successful labor force. |
| few people can afford the time and money required to | | | | "We need more people taking the right types of |
| engage in a four-year degree program at a | | | | programs" as opposed to higher degree holders with |
| brick-and-mortar university, as they cannot afford to | | | | little direction, he told the San Bernardino Sun. |
| abandon their family and financial commitments. | | | | Calling upon statistics from the Department of Labor, |
| As a result, many students and professionals are | | | | Fleming pointed out that the government expects 21 |
| choosing to enroll in online courses to pursue vocational | | | | percent of jobs will require a bachelor's degree in 2016, |
| degrees. While there is no doubt higher education is the | | | | while approximately 40 percent will be middle-skill |
| key to career development, the educational | | | | opportunities that require vocational training. |
| requirements of today's workforce are shifting. | | | | To meet the projected demands of the American |
| As the cost of obtaining a bachelors degree through | | | | workforce, many online universities have begun |
| traditional means continues to rise, many individuals are | | | | offering training programs that are intended to prepare |
| choosing to enroll in vocational programs, which are | | | | students for specific careers and attracted growing |
| one of the quickest methods to launching a career. | | | | numbers of prospective employees. |