Newly released federal data show that a large portion of students enrolled at public, two-year colleges in 2011-12 worked during their first year at those institutions.

Some 44 percent of students worked “while enrolled in their first year of postsecondary education,” according to a new report by the National Center for Education Statistics,

The report, “Working Before, During, and After Beginning at a Public 2-Year Institution: Labor Market Experiences of Community College Students,” describes the employment of students before they enrolled in college for the first time and during their first year of enrollment. The report also examines how employment is related to these students’ postsecondary experiences and employment outcomes after they left or completed postsecondary education.

Among the key findings of the report: