Does non-university higher education contribute to equity and to improve labour market outcomes of graduates in Latin America?

ANA GARCÍA DE FANELLI AND CLAUDIA JACINTO

Conferencia; Conference in Honour of Prof Michel Carton. Knowledge, Skills and Development: Global Frameworks and Local Realities in Higher and Technical Education; 2010

In a regional context of educational expansion and of labour markets where the secondary certificate tends to be a minimum requirement to access formal jobs, non-university tertiary education should represent an important alternative for those who want to continue studying. Particularly, for those who cannot access higher university studies and/or are inclined towards teaching or short term technical careers as a faster way to access the job market. As a first approach to this subject, this chapter examines the equity of the educational coverage of non-university higher education in some selected countries ofLatin America and how that level of higher education impacts on graduate outcomes in the labour market. The data come from the National Household Surveys of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. Some labour market favored comparing them with those of university and secondary levels? Given some constraints regarding the source of data, this present paper should be considered a preliminary approach to an important topic for higher education public policies. questions posed are: is non-university higher education a better alternative than university, to improve access and graduation of poor youngsters? To what extent are their graduates? outcomes in the labour market favored comparing them with those of university and secondary levels? Given some constraints regarding the source of data, this present paper should be considered a preliminary approach to an importanttopic for higher education public policies