Certificates: Gateway to Gainful Employment and College Degrees

From Georgetown University's Center for Education and the Workforce, this report highlights the importance of certificates for workers in the labor market. Specifically, certificates recognize completion of a course of study in a specific field. Certificates can help advancement in the labor market because individuals with certificates earn 20 percent more than high school graduates without postsecondary education, on average. However, increased earnings vary based on a variety of factors, including the field of study. In this report, authors provide information on the population earnings certificates, the earnings return, and the institutions where they are earning certificates.