Recruiters give equal value to degrees and credentials when they’re considering new candidates. Across the board, the top qualities — knowledge of industry trends, technical skills, specialized knowledge, networking skills and so on — are the same whether a student arrives with a full-fledged degree or credentials from alternatives.

That’s a finding in a new survey recently published by Ellucian, which produces software for higher education. Ellucian worked with Wakefield Research to conduct the project, which surveyed 500 students ages 18 to 45 and currently enrolled in either a college or credential program as well as 500 recruiters and hiring managers who fill salaried positions.

The survey also found that the recruiters have more optimism about the capabilities of their new hires than the students themselves do. While 39 percent of college students said they felt "very prepared" for the workforce, 62 percent of recruiters said the same about their candidates. However, the student responses varied based on age.

Source - Read More at: campustechnology.com