TEXAS: ONE OF FOUR STATES FOR OECD STUDY

Last month Texas, along with three other states – Washington, Virginia and Ohio – was invited by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to participate in an analysis of the labor market relevance and outcomes of the state’s higher education system.

The OECD project examines how well higher education systems fare in helping learners develop skills that are valued by employers. A project goal is to identify how policymakers can improve the state’s higher education system to anticipate, develop and clearly signal market relevant skills.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) convened key education and workforce stakeholders for this study, which aligns with marketable skills goal of 60x30TX, the statewide higher education strategic plan. Stakeholder engagement for the Texas study took place in September in Dallas, El Paso, Houston, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), and Austin. South Texas College was one of the public institutions of higher education that hosted the study team and participants.