Even as the United States is experiencing high unemployment and joblessness at historical rates, employers widely report difficulty finding qualified and skilled workers. If current postsecondary graduation rates do not improve, our labor market will be short 3 million college-educated workers by 2018. Jobs with postsecondary education requirements or training will make up 63 percent of all job openings between now and 2018 and will include the majority of long-term career jobs.
Clearly, an education beyond high school is a key factor in a young person’s financial stability and a community’s economic viability. That’s why we believe postsecondary education institutions and employers must work together to meet the needs of today’s student and meet the growing demands for skilled labor.
Employers are finding they are not readily equipped to provide the basic education and occupational training necessary to meet the needs of today’s workforce; but with clear guidance on the skill sets required, community colleges can provide more meaningful and applicable education and training. Moreover, community colleges can partner with employers to develop flexible and effective education and training partnerships that provide a pathway to advancement.
As recent research shows, postsecondary education has become a key component to earning family wages and sustaining a middle class. If employers and educators develop innovative and sustainable partnerships to better support postsecondary attainment, together they can ensure a skilled workforce within the regions they serve.
To identify the link between higher education and labor markets needs, we have partnered with several organizations that are leaders in their fields:
- Corporate Voices for Working Families to identify and test which postsecondary programs best allow young adults to earn credentials while working. The funding also allowed for testing to show how successful programs can be replicated.
- Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce to study the link between education, career qualifications, and workforce demands. This summer, the Center issued Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018, a first national jobs report which projected jobs and educational demands through 2018.
- Workforce Strategy Centerproduced a report titled Employers, Low-income Young Adults, and Postsecondary Credentials: A Practical Typology for Business, Education, and Community Leaders on employer engagement in postsecondary education identifying programs that support the efforts of young adult workers to complete their educations.
- The Center for Energy Workforce Development evaluated a half dozen states for opportunities in the energy industry sector so that they can begin to foster completion among young adults in programs that combine education and work experiences.
- National Association for Manufacturing/Manufacturing Institute is deploying a new industry certification system with four community college partners in Ohio, Texas, North Carolina, and Washington, and then replicate the program within those states.