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Rob Siminoski has been in the theater since he graduated from college. But after 10 years, he's moving on to an apprenticeship program for on-set movie electricians. It takes five years, and Siminoski, 33, is going to have to brush up on his high-school algebra to get in. Still, it offers a good balance of risk and reward.
The nation’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic will hinge to some extent on how quickly show managers can become electricians, whether taxi drivers can become plumbers, and how many cooks can manage software for a bank.

The economic fortunes of college towns have long been tightly linked to the students who learn and live there. But when international students didn't show up at U.S. colleges in 2019-2020, their contributions to the American economy fell by $1.8 billion, and more than 42,000 jobs created or supported by their spending were lost.
The Chronicle takes a closer look at the economic force of international students over the years.

More four-year schools are embedding industry credentials into their programs as pressure mounts to prove they’re graduating students ready for the workforce.
A new report says integrating high-quality, industry certifications into bachelor’s degree programs can, in fact, help students gain the skills employers seek, grow their earning potential while in college, and expand their awareness of career pathways.

When the University of Washington became the first major U.S. campus to close its doors because of the COVID-19 outbreak on March 6, almost no one could have predicted the pandemic would eventually swell to the massively widespread proportions now disrupting higher education across the country.
As institutions continue to navigate the best ways to serve students amid these unprecedented times, experts warn that higher ed leaders should be bracing themselves for a second wave of the pandemic in the spring semester.

Many colleges and universities wrapped up their fall terms before Thanksgiving. On this podcast, officials from two institutions—Paul Quinn College and the University of Notre Dame—talk about their efforts to protect the health and wellbeing of students this fall.

During the pandemic, colleges and universities have struggled to provide their students with basic necessities—from broadband to mental health counseling.
But students have lost something else to the coronavirus: a sense of campus community. In a time of virtual classes and Zoom conferences, students are still craving a place to learn and a place to belong.