Utah ranks 19th nationally in college attainment

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Utah needs to pick up the pace on college achievement if it wants to meet the needs of the workforce of the future.

A report released Thursday by the Lumina Foundation shows Utah is 19th in the country for college attainment, up from a rank of 20 in the organization’s previous report.

The study found 40.3 percent of Utah’s working-age adults held a two- or four-year college degree in 2011, the most recent year for which data is available. That’s up from 39.7 percent in 2010.

But the figures are far behind what Lumina officials say is needed. They say 66 percent of all jobs in Utah will require postsecondary education by 2018.

Gov. Gary Herbert announced a plan last fall to reach 66 percent college attainment by 2020.

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