Beacon College graduates pace the national average for finding employment or pursuing post-graduate studies, according to the school’s recently released annual post-graduation employment survey.
The Career Development Center surveyed 41 Class of 2017 graduates a year after their received their degrees in its campaign to collect valuable and meaningful employment data. The survey found that 85 percent of respondents are working or seeking graduate degrees. That eclipses the national average of 81.2 percent, as calculated by the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ Center for Career Development and Talent Acquisition. Its survey polled 549,664 participant students at 375 colleges.
“Beacon College is doing a great job preparing students for their transition into the workforce,” said Esteban Lopez, director of corporate and academic outreach for Beacon College. The nonprofit liberal arts school in Leesburg, Fla. is America’s first accredited college or university to award bachelor’s degrees primarily to students who learn differently. “Beacon College’s numbers are even more impressive when compared to [other southeastern] colleges and universities where only 77.1 percent of students are employed or continuing their education.”
The survey, Lopez added, “confirms the importance of a college education to successfully transition into the workplace.”
Moreover, for students with learning disabilities, ADHD, dyslexia, or other learning differences, a sheepskin can prove the talisman that wards off employer apprehension and unemployment.
“Thanks to Beacon College, students who learn differently are more likely to acquire a college credential to propel them in life,” Lopez said.
Far from being Pollyannaish, Lopez said Beacon College cannot rest on its laurels.
“Although, the results of the survey are nothing short of celebration,” he said, “there is still room for improvement, in particular around higher-paying jobs, as students with learning disabilities are making less money than their peers.”