🎓IMSPARK: Higher Education for All in the Pacific🎓

🎓Imagine... Higher Education for All in the Pacific🎓

💡 Imagined Endstate: 

The Pacific region has successfully increased the access and affordability of higher education for its residents, especially for underrepresented and disadvantaged groups. The region has fostered a culture of lifelong learning, innovation, and excellence, where everyone has the opportunity to pursue their academic and career goals.

🔗Link:

Ref Here

📚Source: 

Halliday, T., & Inafuku, R. (2024). Estimating the returns to higher education using administrative data: A case study of the University of Hawai‘i System. University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization.

💥 What’s the Big Deal: 

The report by Halliday and Inafuku (2024) reveals that a college education from the University of Hawai‘i (UH) offers a significant investment return for its graduates. 🌏The authors find that lifetime earnings for bachelor’s degree holders are 27% higher than for those who exited the program without a degree. 💼 The report also shows that community college degrees and certificates can boost earnings and serve as stepping stones to four-year degrees.

Higher education is a key driver of economic and social development for the Pacific region, especially in the face of global challenges such as climate change, health crises, and technological disruption. 🏫By expanding the access and affordability of higher education, the Pacific region can empower its residents to acquire the skills, knowledge, and credentials they need to succeed in the 21st century. 🚀Higher education can also enhance the region’s competitiveness, diversity, and resilience, and contribute to its well-being and prosperity.

🧒IMSPARK: Early Childhood Care as a Valued and Thriving Industry in the Pacific🧒

 🧒Imagine... Early Childhood Care as a Valued and Thriving Industry in the Pacific🧒

💡 Imagined Endstate:

Envision the Early Childhood Care (ECE) profession and industry flourishing as a cherished and supported sector in the Pacific economy.

📚Source:

1.      Dickerson, C., & Trodd, L. (2020). Gaining professional recognition: exploring professionality and professional identity of early years practitioners in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 27(3), 319-336.

 

2.      University of Hawaiʻi News. (2023, July 19). Infant, toddler caregiver certificate launched at Honolulu CC. UH News.

🔗Link:

1.      https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1724935; Dickerson, C., & Trodd, L. (2020

2.      https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2023/07/19/honolulu-cc-early-childhood-cert/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UH+News+072524: UH/HCC

💥What's the Big Deal:

ECE is a vital need for the economy and a barrier to reentry for those who have been planning to return to work since the Pandemic. With that in mind, ECE could be revered as a Pacific industry 🌱. Its role is as essential as any other sector. It provides for nurturing children's development and societal progress, with far-reaching positive impacts on education, welfare, and the economy. 📚 This shift in economic perspective could enhance new and existing ECE practitioners' professional identity, recruitment, and fuel industry growth 💼. The recent launch of Honolulu Community College's Infant and Toddler Caregiver Certificate adds momentum 🚀. It offers a dedicated path for career development, that adds to meeting the Hawaiʻi's Department of Human Services childcare provider license criteria 🏥. Graduates gain portable skills and avenues toward higher education, all the while bolstering the industry's prospects and growth with new talent and qualified labor 🎓. 

#ECE, #childdevelopment,#EconomicMobility, #HumanCapacityBuilding,#IMSPARK,#ImagineEducation, #HigherEducation