Welcome to Adult and Continuing Education at Medgar Evers College, CUNY!

We are looking forward to using this blog as a way of sharing information with you about upcoming offerings and events, as well as about relevant news impacting your lifelong learning.

For this first post, we would like to share with you why certificate programs are such a great investment. According to a study published in June 2012 by the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University (see link to full report here), “In America, the postsecondary certificate has become a cost-effective tool for increasing postsecondary educational attainment and gainful employment.”

Here are more interesting quotes from the report’s executive summary:

“Two out of every three workers who have a certificate and a college degree earned the certificate first, an indication that certificates can serve as a stepping stone on the way to a college degree.” (page 1, Executive Summary)

“For the unemployed and underemployed, certificates can offer a jumpstart in the labor market.” (page 2, Executive Summary)

“For incumbent workers, certificates can be the most effective way to catch up, keep up and get ahead in their chosen field.” (pages 1 and 2, Executive Summary)

“Certificates have superseded Associate’s and Master’s degrees as the second most common award in the American postsecondary education and career training system.” (page 2, Executive Summary)

In other words, these quotes are attesting to the value of certificate programs for adult learners regardless of college attainment or current employment status. When you consider taking just one course versus a certificate program, consider the long-term value which a certificate program will add to your future earning power and career potential. To learn more about certificate programs offered by Continuing Education at Medgar Evers College, visit www.mec.cuny.edu/ACE.

Fall 2012 Open Houses will be held on September 20 and 26 from 6:30 – 8:00 PM at 1534 Bedford Avenue, 2nd Floor, located between Eastern Parkway and Lincoln Place just one block from the Franklin Avenue Subway (lines 2,3,4,5 and S). Visit us online at www.mec.cuny.edu/ACE, email ace.info@mec.cuny.edu or call 718-804-8850 to inquire.