DOE Sees Disparity in Career Training Earnings

The gloves are off. According to a study released by the U.S. Department of Education, in every single category except three — culinary arts, aesthetology and cosmetology — mean earnings of students who graduate from career training programs delivered by public institutions are higher than the earnings for students who attended for-profit institutions. The data examined found that among undergraduate certificate graduates in fields that are common to both the public and private sectors (covering about 95 percent of graduates), the average earnings are higher in the public sector at 80 percent of programs, Within the same fields of study, the average difference was found to be about $2,700, 13 percent higher in the public-sector programs than the for-profit ones.