FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 25, 2014
CONTACT: Bill Bird @ 916-651-4029
Assembly Committee Votes to Help College Students
Huff Measure Helps Students Make Correct Career Choices
SACRAMENTO: The Assembly Education Committee took action this week to pass legislation that will give students in California a good idea of what a college degree is worth. SB 1022, authored by Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) will require the California State University (CSU) system and encourage the University of California (UC) to provide easily understood information, such as median annual wage for degrees that are offered by each institution.
Public universities already have access to this data through state law. Senator Huff’s legislation would merely make it available to prospective and current students, and the public.
“California students deserve to know what their college degrees are worth, and giving them that information will help guide key career decisions,” said Senator Huff. “According to the US Chamber of Commerce — in the face of high unemployment — there are still four million unfilled jobs in America and many of these jobs require a bachelor’s degree. In the Silicon Valley cities of San Jose, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, for example, 56% of job openings require a bachelor’s degree or higher.”
SB 1022 will provide access to labor market data – including salary earnings and job placement statistics – for all UC and CSU graduates. This kind of information is critical to the decision making process that faces every student as they will learn what fields of study provide for the greatest of opportunities in terms of finding employment and salary.
A recent study discovered that four in ten college graduates find themselves stuck in jobs that don’t require a college degree. And nearly half of recent graduates believe they would fare better in the job market if they had pursued a different major.
The study, from the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, found that out of 41.7 million working college graduates in 2010, 48 percent of them – representing more than 20 million people — held jobs that required less than a bachelor’s degree. Thirty-seven percent held jobs that required no more than a high school diploma.
“The least we can do – as policy makers – is to ensure that students are armed with accurate data and information about the labor market,” said Senator Huff. “Giving students a picture of college graduate salary earnings and industry placement will allow students to make thoughtful, data-driven decisions about where and what they want to study.”
Senator Huff serves as the Senate Republican Leader and represents the 29th Senate District covering portions of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino Counties. Follow Senator Huff on Twitter at @bobhuff99.