NJ MED Prepare New US Workforce for Success

WASHINGTON - May 20, 2015 - PRLog -- In 2012, NJ MED, a member of the United Nation’s NGOs, Economic and Social Affairs, launched its National High School Graduation Pledge Campaign, to help better prepare the US Workforce for the new global knowledge-based economy. By asking in-coming high school freshmen across the country to pledge to graduate on time, live drug free, not become a teen parent, become computer literate, and promise to enroll in higher education after graduation.

Campaign participants will be preparing to enroll in 4-year and 2-year colleges for the first-time. NJ MED’s new Higher Education Platform will provide students and their parents with vital information about the financial aid process, where to search for college scholarships, and learn more about the services and programs to better prepare them for the transition from high school to college.

The new Higher Education Platform also ranks the nation’s top 4-year and 2-year colleges. The University ranks are based on 5 criteria which measures 5 – the Quality of Education, Graduation Rates, Employability, Facilities, and Instructors Qualifications:

·         Industry Reputation:  Measures the quality of the educational training provided by the University, compared to other university offering the same majors, (i.e. Businesses, engineering, medical, etc.)

·         Completion Rates: Number of students that graduate within 4 years, and measures the student support services offered by the university towards graduation.

·         Career Impact: Number of successful alumnus that holds executive and leadership roles in their industry.

·         Learning Environment: Grading universities Dorms, Libraries, Campus security and technology access available to students.

·         Real Life Success: Reviewed the number of undergrad Professors who have professional credentials outside the academic community in their chosen fields.

The Community Colleges ranks were also based on 6 criteria, which measured - graduation rates; student retention rates; Full-time faculty; the school's in-state tuition and fees; the percentage of full-time first-time undergraduates receiving financial aid; and the average amount of grant aid they received from federal, state and private sources combined:

·         Completion Rates: Number of students that graduate within 2 years, and measures the student support services offered by the college towards graduation.

·         The number of returning students for the next year fall semester.

·         The number of full-time faculty members that provide instruction, research, or public service, for the community college.

·         Measured the cost per year for local students compared to other community colleges.

·         Measured the number of incoming freshmen who received student aid equal to the total amount of grants, loans, and scholarships awarded by the institution the prior year.

·         The total amount of grants, loans, and scholarships available for in-state and out of state students

Albert Mitchell II, Executive Director of NJ MED, said, “Our mission is to support students, parents, schools, and colleges that clearly see the need to connect; in preparing, our nation’s workforce to compete in the 21^st century global knowledge-based economy. We hope to unite services and programs to these communities to create a win-win scenario for everyone under the flag.”

For more information about NJ MED’s Higher Education Platform visit http://usstudentpledge.org/highereducation