Sensis: Los hispanos continúan otorgando un alto nivel de importancia a la educación
Jose Villa, Founder and President at Sensis posted an article in MediaPost explaining why the Hispanic market represents an antidote and counterpoint to the prevailing issues that the U.S. higher education is facing. Among these issues he mentioned: Reduced revenue driven by flat/declining enrollment and reduced public funding, reduced demand resulting from a shrinking pool of high school students, real value of a four-year college degree, and technological disruption with the growth of online education, and other non-traditional forms of education. “While many of the changes are likely necessary for the continued viability of higher education, the U.S. Hispanic market is one overlooked bright spot and opportunity” he said and explained why. First, Hispanics are seeing significant growth in terms of college enrollment, rising from 11% of the U.S. college population in 2006 to over 17%. Second, the number of Hispanic high school students in the U.S. is growing rapidly, representing a major supply-side opportunity for colleges and universities. Hispanic household incomes also have been increasing since 2000. And third, Hispanics continue to place a high level of importance on education, specifically in the form of traditional four-year college degrees, 46% of Hispanic Millennials consider graduating from a four-year college as a future goal, compared to only 31% of non-Hispanic Millennials. “The entire higher education industry has a major opportunity and potential lifeline with Hispanics” Villa said. He recommended a “all-in” approach. “To fully take advantage of the Hispanic market, colleges and universities will need to rethink and adjust all elements of their enterprise, from their recruiting to their curriculum, student support, and alumni relations” he concluded.
