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Date ArticleType
11/2/2016 Press Release

Business, Higher Education Partners Bring “Launch My Career” To Texas

 

Business, Higher Education Partners Bring “Launch My Career” To Texas

Free and Interactive Tool Helps Students Make Informed Decisions

About Higher Education and Career Options

 

AUSTIN, TX — Nov. 2, 2016 — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Texas Association of Business, USA Funds and College Measures today introduced LaunchMyCareerTX.org, a free, online tool that provides students information about the likely return on investment for Texas higher education institutions - and specific majors within these institutions - to help individuals make better-informed decisions about their education and career paths. The partners were joined by Gallup Inc., Texas Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes, the Austin Chamber of Commerce and other higher education stakeholders at a launch event in Austin as part of the Texas Association of Business Higher Education Conference.

 

LaunchMyCareerTX will assist users in determining the right college program for them by sharing information on employment opportunities, potential earnings, and other outcomes of past graduates. Unique to the tool is its focus on well-being data, highlighting personal and job satisfaction for graduates from different majors and fields of study. Other key features include a lifestyle goal calculator, showing the number of years it will take for the salary from a particular occupation to meet a user’s lifestyle goals; and a “break-even calculator” that demonstrates the numbers of years it will take for earnings to exceed the total cost of a particular degree.

 

“The educational decisions our students make create a ripple effect, influencing far more than simply the student’s future,” said Bill Hammond, president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business. “Their decisions shape the ability of our state to thrive and compete economically for good jobs. That’s why LaunchMyCareerTX is essential to college planning. It is uniquely positioned to help Texas’ students determine what path is right for them based on their personal goals and career aspirations. When students succeed, it means a better-prepared and more-qualified workforce for Texas in the future.”

 

Texas is the third state to offer the new college comparison tool, building on efforts in Colorado and Tennessee earlier this year. LaunchMyCareerTX is the largest of the three sites, allowing users to access information on 109 Texas institutions, compared to 35 in Colorado and 22 in Tennessee. The Texas tool has more than 3,200 institution combinations and majors, which are necessary for generating its groundbreaking economic and non-economic return projections.

 

“Access to such tailored, transparent information is critical for both high school graduates and adults returning to school. LaunchMyCareerTX helps prospective students and their families better understand the outcomes of their educational choices,” said Mark Schneider, president of College Measures, a division of American Institutes for Research. “These tools help answer three pressing questions students commonly have: ‘how can what I study help me find a job?’ ‘how will I be able to achieve my desired lifestyle goals?’ and ‘which majors lead to good job satisfaction and personal fulfillment?’”

 

LaunchMyCareerTX offers the following information:

 

  • Identifies “hot jobs” that are in demand across Texas, and the degree or certificate programs that will prepare students for these roles.
  • Compares projected earnings to the financial investment required to graduate from a particular school and program.
  • Analyzes the earnings potential of many career options and what lifestyles are achievable within those income levels.
  • Helps students understand the personal and professional satisfaction that accompanies different careers and courses of study.

 

“LaunchMyCareer is an exciting series of tools that we feel has the ability to shape the conversation about college value in states and help students make higher education choices that provide the most long-term benefit to them,” said Derek Redelman, Vice President, Research and Policy, at USA Funds. “We’ve heard from state leaders and students alike that these are the types of resources they need to succeed, and we look forward to continuing to bring diverse parties together to create thoughtful, highly-nuanced college planning tools that effectively serve students and their families as well as state policy and workforce leaders.”


Launch My Career Texas is supported by one of four College Value grants totaling $3.5 million from the non-profit corporation USA Funds. The grants support development of new models in 12 states for measuring college value to help students and their families, policymakers, and postsecondary institutions make more-informed decisions about the training and skills that will provide the greatest value to students and their communities.

 

View video highlights of the news conference here: https://youtu.be/SKeGTP_fsSQ



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About the Texas Association of Business

As the state chamber of commerce, TAB is the most influential and dominant voice for public policy issues affecting business in Texas. Through proven results-oriented advocacy and member services, TAB develops a climate in Texas which enables more than 4,300 business members and their millions of employees to operate efficiently and profitably, thus creating new jobs. TAB is a proud to be the official state partner of the National Association of Manufacturers.

 

About the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is dedicated to strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness. We educate the public on the conditions necessary for business and communities to thrive, how business positively impacts communities, and emerging issues and creative solutions that will shape the future. For more information, visit www.uschamberfoundation.org

 

About USA Funds

USA Funds is a nonprofit corporation that supports Completion With a Purpose, building a more purposeful path for America’s students to and through college and on to rewarding careers and successful lives. USA Funds pursues its nonprofit mission through philanthropic activities and partnerships, policy research, and programs and services that enhance preparation for, access to and success in higher education. Learn more about USA Funds’ College Value initiative at www.educationvalue.org.

 

About AIR
Established in 1946, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of health, education and workforce productivity. For more information, visit 
www.air.org.