In a recent interview with Forbes contributor Alison Griffin, JFF Vice President Michael Collins discussed what he and JFF Senior Advisor Nancy Hoffman learned about the importance of social capital when they were working on their new book Teaching Students About the World of Work: A Challenge to Postsecondary Education, which is set to be published in June.

He explained that he and Hoffman shared a professional interest in understanding social capital because they had each witnessed the “disconnect between rhetoric about the role of higher education in bolstering economic mobility for people of color and people from low-income backgrounds—and what it actually does.”

Noting that “social capital, or lack thereof, plays a role in who goes to what school and ultimately what they earn,” Collins said, “For low-income learners to really benefit from higher education, they need support to understand the world of work and what credentials, relationships and set of experiences will help them succeed.”

Moreover, he added, “they need advising and counseling to help them understand the earnings potential and preparation necessary for different degrees. They also need educational experiences that help them make direct connections to the labor market in the fields in which they hope to work.”