About the Private Postsecondary School Sector (PPSS)
The Private Postsecondary School Sector (PPSS) in one of the five sectors of higher education in California. The PPSS is, without a doubt, the most diverse and least well-known sectors of higher education. PPSS schools are designed to provide an alternative to a long-term degree program at a traditional university and offer more focused educational training at a faster pace, often without the optional general education courses that may not be occupationally related to the career goal of the student.
Student-Centered Programs
PPSS schools appeal to those students who know what specific career field they are interested in and want dedicated training in a specialized area in a condensed time frame. PPSS schools appeal to adults that are often supporting families or are starting second careers and wish to spend the least amount of time required in an educational setting. PPSS schools, in order to cater to their student’s needs, often offer the same classes in the evening that they offer during the day. Flexible class scheduling helps students who work or take care of family complete their education. PPSS schools have also led the way utilizing distance education programs as a way to offer quality training to students who are at home or in the workplace and may not be able to attend a “brick and mortar” type educational institution.
PPSS schools are created and designed to be student/customer focused.
PPSS Schools are characterized by curriculum-driven educational programs that are created to respond to the demands of the business sector. While tenured professors are the stars of the public university systems and are given the freedom to create their courses, instructors in the PPSS system must teach according to the competencies that are contained in the curriculum. Students in a PPSS school must master the curriculum or they will fail to advance. There can be no “courtesy graduations.” Employers will not hire graduates who cannot perform on the job and students will not attend a school that does not have a successful placement with employers.