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The importance of higher education has been stressed upon by our President time and again. He has set a goal of achieving two million more college graduates in our country by 2020. The past week, he has been busy calling colleges to make education more accessible and affordable.

Even as he stresses on factors such as degree attainment, skills development and higher education availability, private sector universities and colleges are already delivering in these aspects. Apart from this, tens and thousands of Americans are employed by this sector.

Attending regular college is very difficult for non-traditional students such as experienced workers, parents and veterans. Those who are supporting a family by working full time are unable to follow schedules like those who are fresh out of high school attending four-year institutions.

Non-traditional students can benefit from the custom tailored programs and curriculum offered by private sector colleges. These programs address the specific lifestyle and goals of these students. Classes are offered at night or online by career oriented institutions. They run week end programs too which allows students to earn a steady income as well as get their degrees.

In high demand industries, specialized degrees are offered by private sector schools. Training and coursework are offered in areas relevant to their careers which leads students towards a better career and future. As they compete for jobs, these schools with their specialized nature help students who do not have technical training.

It is evident that today there is a shortage of skilled workers. This is one of the major reasons for the vulnerability of our economy. In spite of the obvious advantages offered by private sector schools, critics have always demanded higher restrictions and burdens on these schools. Career oriented institutions are demonized by these sceptics at every point. What they must remember is that private sector is already a highly regulated field in our country.

Regulations most definitely result in increased bureaucracy. More costs are incurred by private sector universities and colleges in order to comply with the constraints imposed by bureaucrats. This in turn makes education expensive, inaccessible and unaffordable for many students.

Fenn and other detractors have no clear consensus and blindly support any constraint or regulation. They completely ignore our economy and the needs of our students and place politics and ideology at the forefront. Statistics are completely ignored by them. If they will only go through the Department of Education figures, they will know how that as compared to community college two year degrees, career colleges are far more successful in producing graduates.

Simply stated, America’s next generation is being educated better by career oriented schools. To encourage these schools is a way to secure the vitality of our economy. We all know that focusing on higher education enhances opportunities and improves employment and income. We face economic hardship and high unemployment. It is our duty not to prevent or deny a better future for students by denying skills and training access.

This sector is already highly regulated. What Fenn must recognize is the importance of private sector universities and schools in educating our workforce. If we need to progress, he must stop calling for further regulations on the sector.