Finding Your Workforce: Latino Talent in Education

For 20 years, Excelencia in Education has served its mission to accelerate Latino student success in higher education in order to address the country’s need for a highly educated workforce and civic leadership. Finding Your Workforce: Latino Talent in Education represents the latest extension of Excelencia’s hallmark work of bringing national attention to higher education institutions and practices advancing Latino talent, strengthening our economy, and ensuring America’s future.

Latinos are shaping the nation’s population–inside and outside of the classroom. Occupations in education disciplines are projected to increase in the next decade. While Latinos have increased their representation in education related occupations, they are more likely to be in education occupations with lower salaries.

This brief is Excelencia’s roadmap for both employers and institutions to take action to ensure America’s future by advancing Latino talent in education.

The top institutions awarding credentials to Latinos at each level in education are:

• Miami Regional University in Florida (Certificate)
• South Texas College in Texas (Associate)
• Florida International University in Florida (Baccalaureate)
• Grand Canyon University in Arizona (Master’s) Nova Southeastern University in Florida (Doctorate)

Strategies for institutions and employers to link Latino graduates to the workforce include:

1. Invest in high-wage, high-demand career pathways by developing stackable credentials in collaboration with employers and funding short-term career programs.
2. Provide transition services between completion and employment or graduate school, including financial and mental health support.
3. Connect the Latino talent pipeline to employers by recruiting graduates for internal employment opportunities and leveraging partnerships with employers.

Suggested Citation: Santiago, D., Labandera, E., Arroyo, C., & Nour, S.R. (February 2024). Finding Your Workforce: Latino Talent in Education. Washington, D.C.: Excelencia in Education.