Let’s discuss the Foxconn deal.

We have all heard people say that you do not need a four-year degree to get a good job. True. Some do get a good job without a fouryear degree. But a growing majority of good (defined as well-paying) jobs are going to those with a four-year degree.

According to the Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, in 1991, baccalaureate degree holders captured 40% of the well-paying jobs. In 2015, four-year degree holders captured a majority (55%) of the well-paying jobs, an increase in share of over 35%

In contrast, high school graduates in 2015 held 18% of the well-paying jobs, down from 28% in 1991. The “some college” and associates degree cohorts still fare better than those with only a high school diploma. From 1991 to 2015, good jobs for those with a high school diploma fell by 1 million; jobs for those with some college or an associates degree rose by 3.2 million in that same period.

A graduate with a bachelor’s degree has a 75% chance of securing a good (well-paying) job, regardless of the field of study. The brighter prospects regardless of the field of study reflect employer expectations.

According to a survey of corporate leaders by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the most important characteristics employers are looking for are what I call the four Cs: creativity, critical reasoning, communication and character. These are exactly the skills that are developed in a liberal arts education, a component of every degree worthy of the name.

Studies also show that today’s young adults will change jobs 12 to 15 times in their working years. Narrow specialization works against long-term, wellpaying employment.

The baccalaureate degree is not obsolete, nor is it a thing apart from the associate’s degree. Fully 41% of students with an associate’s degree go on to earn a bachelor’s degree within six years.

Fast-growing companies need trained machinists and maintenance personnel, but they also need engineers, accountants and human resources directors. To continue to grow our own, as well as to attract brain workers from elsewhere, we need to adopt realistic, proven and scalable strategies.

Programs and policies alone are not enough. We need a renewed commitment to help Wisconsin citizens understand the impact higher education can make for their personal lives and for their communities.

This past July, Inside Higher Ed reported 57% of respondents in one recent poll believe a college degree gives little likelihood of finding a good-paying job, with 83% suggesting a college degree is no longer a guarantee of success in America. Those majorities are wrong. A growing majority of the well-paying jobs are going to those who hold baccalaureate degrees — higher education is the best route to opportunity.

The first job of an educated person is to get the facts straight. The next is to apply those facts to change your life and change the world.