FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 Is Skills2Compete a partisan campaign?
Skills2Compete is a non-partisan campaign. We are not affiliated with any political party.

  Will Skills2Compete endorse presidential candidates?
We will engage presidential candidates from both parties about the campaign goals and track candidate positions on the issues, but we do not endorse candidates.

  What is the Skills2Compete ask?
A guarantee that every person will have access to at least 2 years of postsecondary education or training at whatever pace and point makes sense during his or her working lifetime. This includes a guarantee that every person have access to basic skills needed to pursue such education.

  Have you developed any specific legislative or regulatory proposals on what form the “guarantee” would take?
At the national level, we seek investments and policies that will increase the number of Americans with up to 2 years of postsecondary education. At the state level, over the course of the campaign, we seek to develop and implement state guarantees. Visit the In the States  section for more information.

  Does Skills2Compete seek a universal guarantee, available to everyone regardless of income, or a need-based guarantee?
Ultimately, Skills2Compete seeks a universal skills guarantee, but we also know that, in the case of states, there can be incremental steps that use a means test before getting to the ultimate goal of universality.

  What does it mean to obtain at least 2 years of postsecondary education? This can include a number of credentials.  It can mean an industry or apprenticeship certification, vocational credential, associate’s degree or one's first two years of college.

  What are the basic skills needed to pursue at least 2 years of postsecondary education?
Skills2Compete believes that everyone who is not prepared to achieve postsecondary credentials should have access to basic skills education that will make them eligible for these programs. Basic skills education includes basic skills instruction designed to bring students to a competency of eighth-grade or twelfth-grade equivalency.

  What’s wrong with bachelor’s degrees?
Greater access to four-year and advanced degrees, particularly in high-demand fields, is an important part of our nation’s workforce policy agenda.  But it can’t be the entirety.  For every job requiring a bachelor’s or advanced degree twice as many require more than high-school, less than a four-year degree.

  What are middle-skill jobs?
Middle-skill jobs require more than a high-school degree and less than a four-year degree. They are the largest segment of jobs in America.