Significantly more residents in the greater Columbus area have earned advanced degrees compared to nearly a decade ago, an improvement that local educational and economic leaders say is beneficial to the community and its economy. The increase is attributable to job growth, skill needs, talent attraction and education attainment initiatives.
The percentage of residents in the Columbus Metropolitan Statistical Area with a bachelor’s degree or higher increased from 24 to 35 percent from 2010 to 2017, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which released its latest one-year American Community Survey in September.
The increase in local higher education attainment occurred more rapidly than one would expect, said Bill Jensen, director of secondary education for Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.
“It’s (typically) slow work to make that level of difference in that time frame. That’s why it takes such a combined effort,” Jensen said.
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The Columbus-based Community Education Coalition has been leading efforts in Bartholomew and nine other counties in southeast Indiana to raise the education attainment of each resident at least one level, whether that’s a certification, or an associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree. The CEC spearheads a collective effort involving education systems, employers, local government and nonprofit organizations.
“The employers who employ people, collectively our community-based organization, our education partners — everyone is working together in the community so we can grow the learning system so it connects to the economy and quality of life,” said John Burnett, the education coalition’s president and CEO.
During the same 2010-2017 period, the area’s median household income rose from $47,192 to $61,533, and the percentage of households with incomes of $150,000 or more jumped from 4.2 percent to 12.2 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau data.
“Higher education attainment demands higher incomes. That’s widely known and supported. It demonstrates our employers are creating jobs and hiring people across the board,” Jason Hester, president of the Greater Columbus Economic Development board, said.
From 2010 to 2017, the Columbus metro area population increased by 5,185 people, or 6.7 percent, growing from 76,855 to 82,040, according to the census data.
The number of jobs in Bartholomew County increased by 9,653 from 2010 to 2017, growing from 40,907 to 50,560, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In the same time frame, the number of employed Bartholomew County residents increased by 8,579, from 34,728 to 43,307, and the unemployment rate dropped from 9.5 percent to 2.7 percent, according to the BLS.
“That’s tremendous growth,” Hester said.
Talent attraction
Successful talent attraction by the large manufacturers in the community has played a key role in the education attainment increase, Burnett said. They’ve hired engineers and managers for roles that require advanced learning, and more people with technical skills have been hired for production and research and development, he added.
Cummins Inc., for example, hired a few thousand employees for its Columbus operations from 2010-2017, the most common of which were engineering jobs, said Katie Zarich, Cummins spokeswoman.
“Job growth in Columbus in all types of roles has been fueled by our global growth, and we have seen a notable net increase in employment during this time,” Zarich said.
Those hired tended to have bachelor’s degrees or higher, and about 65 percent of Cummins’ workforce in the Columbus area has at least a bachelor’s degree, Zarich said.
However, Cummins hires candidates with a broad range of experiences, she added.
“We have apprentice programs for skilled-trades, tuition reimbursement programs, school-to-work programs and many other programs to help develop our workforce. We are committed to continuous improvement in workforce development,” Zarich said.
In 2016, Faurecia added 300 employees when it opened its Columbus South facility, said Hadi Awada, president of Faurecia Clean Mobility North America.
“We have a wide range of positions that we hire for — plant leadership, operators, material movers, engineers, etc. Each of these has different requirements. In some cases, college degrees are preferred. In others, technical certifications or a high school diploma may be preferred,” Awada said.
“We certainly have added some more technical positions — such as a mathematician who reviews and analyzes data, and (information technology) staff who work with the network and software — that require special education and skill sets,” he added.
About 26 percent of Faurecia’s full-time, Columbus-based employees have a bachelor’s degree or higher, Awada said.
Faurecia has entered into a partnership with Ivy Tech Community College to offer all of its Indiana employees the opportunity to earn college credit through Ivy Tech’s Achieve Your Degree program, so the company anticipates a larger percentage of its employees having higher degrees in the near future, Awada said.
Employers are increasingly investing in workforce skills needed the jobs of today and the future, Hester said. In addition to hiring people who already possess the skills, they’re helping local residents gain those skills, he added.
One way that’s done is with internships and school-to-work programs, where college students study full-time to gain a degree and work part-time for a local employer.
“We really press internships, and have an office (career services) that puts students in internships,” said Debra Winikates, director of University College and retention initiatives at IUPUC.
Offerings help
Columbus’ higher learning systems also have increased their degree offerings, giving local students more options as they pursue careers. Some degree additions in the last decade at IUPUC, for example, include:
Bachelor of science in mechanical engineering
Master’s degree in mental health counseling
Bachelor of arts degree in English
Bachelor of arts degree in communications studies
At the high school level, several things have made a significant difference in increasing educational attainment, Jensen said, such as:
iGrad, a mentoring program to keep at-risk students on track for graduating
Dual-credit opportunities, allowing high school students to earn college credits and save money when they get to college
the C4 career development program offered by Bartholomew Consolidated
Increased high school diploma offerings
the seamless pathways system created to guide students to careers
The Indiana Commission for Higher Education noted the positive impact dual-credit courses are having in a recent news release. The ICHE said that 62 percent of all Hoosier students earn college credit while in high school through dual-credit programs and/or Advanced Placement tests.
According to a Community Education Coalition report, the iGrad program has reduced the number of high school dropouts by more than 50 percent over the last seven years.
The CEC’s report also said:
The number of people in Columbus ages 25 to 34 with a college degree has increased 62 percent since 2010.
Columbus experienced an 18-percent increase in educational attainment for 25- to 34-year-olds with a bachelor’s degree or higher, marking the highest growth rate among more than 380 metros in the United States.
Burnett said the collective efforts of education leaders and community and business stakeholder to raise education attainment locally is having a positive impact.
“Education, economy, power of place — all these things come together to make for a recipe for economic success,” Burnett said.
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For information about education initiatives in the Columbus area, visit the Community Education Coalition’s website at educationcoalition.com.
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