Editor’s note: This is second of two Voices MinnPost Community Voices commentaries on nontraditional students. Readers can find the first piece here.
In the Twin Cities we often talk about talent gaps, opportunity pipelines and workforce shortages. But the truth is simpler and more human. The biggest barrier holding back thousands of adults from finishing a degree or certificate isn’t lack of ability or motivation. It’s time.
According to the 2024 Lumina Foundation/Gallup survey, nearly one-third of adults between 26 and 59 say earning a degree would take too much time. That statistic should stop us in our tracks. These are people who want to learn and who see education as the pathway to stability and advancement. But for many, the clock runs out before the class even begins.
Traditional higher education was designed for predictability with set schedules, fixed campuses and a steady rhythm of semesters. Yet most working adults live lives defined by unpredictability. A single shift change, a sick child or an unexpected expense can derail even the best-laid educational plans.
Related: Unlearning the timeline: reflections of a nontraditional student
In Minnesota, where one in five households experiences food insecurity, that reality is more common. When families juggle rent, childcare, transportation and health care costs, education becomes a luxury rather than a ladder. Without a stable foundation, even the most innovative learning programs struggle to take hold. If the Twin Cities want equitable growth, our education systems must adapt to adults’ real lives, not the other way around.
The adults most often left behind are those who hold communities together, caregivers, hourly workers and parents balancing multiple jobs. In parts of North and South Minneapolis, years of disinvestment have created deep economic and educational barriers. When half of renters across the state are cost-burdened, finding time to study becomes a question of survival, not scheduling.
Meanwhile, Minnesota’s economy can’t afford the gap. This summer, the state reported about 157,000 job openings and fewer than one unemployed worker per available job. Each semester, potential learners sit out, and the region’s workforce falls further behind. Without flexible options, adults either look elsewhere or give up entirely.
For adult learners, success comes when progress is measured by mastery, not time spent in class. Competency-based education allows students to move quickly through material they already know and focus where they need it. For those with military experience, technical training or years of on-the-job expertise, that flexibility can turn a years-long degree into a reachable finish line.
Recognizing prior learning shortens the path to credentials and helps skilled workers return to the labor market faster. When programs align with employer needs, every class completed delivers immediate, measurable value in the workplace.
Nontraditional students need the right support system
Equity doesn’t end with enrollment, it begins there. Affordable, flexible programs open doors, but sustained mentorship and proactive advising help students move through them. Research shows that early, consistent engagement from mentors dramatically improves persistence and completion rates, especially for students returning after long absences. The right support system can be the difference between pausing and persevering.
The Twin Cities already has strong foundations for change. Libraries, adult education centers and community colleges serve as trusted spaces for learning. Embedding coaches and career navigators within these community hubs brings education closer to where people live and work.
Employers have a key role, too. Paid learning time, recognition for skill mastery and guaranteed interviews for credential earners send a clear message: Education isn’t just personal growth, it’s workforce development. When businesses, nonprofits and higher education institutions share responsibility for outcomes, enrollment rises and completion follows.
If Minneapolis–St. Paul wants to lead the Midwest in adult learning innovation, the blueprint is clear:
- Integrate “stability and study” services that combine childcare, benefits access and enrollment in one stop.
- Expand stackable, flexible credentials across key regional industries like health care, business and information technology.
- Celebrate and scale what’s already working through public–private partnerships that connect talent to opportunity.
Minnesota’s economic future depends on the adults who already power its present. When working learners have stability, mentorship and mastery-based pathways, families gain security, employers fill critical roles and communities thrive.
Progress isn’t measured by enrollment numbers, but by the lives changed when adults finally have the time to learn.
Terrance Hopson, Ph.D., is regional vice president for the Midwest Region at Western Governors University.
