Marketable Skills
In 2015, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board launched a new plan for the state of Texas called the 60x30TX Texas Higher Education Strategic Plan. The four goals of this plan are outlined below.
The four goals in the 60x30TX Plan are essential to the future prosperity of Texas.
The Overarching Goal: 60x30
At least 60 percent of Texans ages 25-34 will have a certificate or degree.
- Supports the economic future of the state
The Second Goal: Compleation
At least 550,000 students in 2030 will complete a certificate, associate, bachelor's, or master's from an institution of higher education in Texas.
- Requires large increases among targeted groups
The Third Goal: Marketable Skills
All graduates from Texas public institutions of higher education will have completed programs with identified marketable skills.
- Emphasizes the value of higher education in the workforce
The Fourth Goal: Student Debt
Undergraduate student loan debt will not exceed 60 percent of first-year wages for graduates of Texas public institutions.
- Help students graduate with manageable debt
The third goal of this plan states that by 2030, all graduates from Texas public institutions of higher education will have completed programs with identified Marketable Skills. A key short-term milestone associated with this goal states that:
- By 2020, institutions will have created and implemented a process to identify and regularly update Marketable Skills for each of their programs, in collaboration with business and other stakeholders.
Marketable Skills in the 60x30TX plan are defined as: Those skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings, including interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skill areas. These skills can be either primary or complementary to a major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities. The Marketable Skills goal emphasizes the value of higher education in the workforce. Students need to be aware of the Marketable Skills that they acquire through their academic programs.
Texas State has developed Marketable Skills for all of its degree and certificate programs. In compliance with the 60x30TX plan, Texas State has developed a Marketable Skills reporting system for all faculty program coordinators, department chairs, school directors, and college deans to effectively report and annually review the Marketable Skills that students acquire from their degree and certificate programs.