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Descriptors:
Labor Market; Employment Patterns; Skilled Occupations; Technical Occupations; Personnel Selection; Job Skills; Employment Practices; Labor Force; Futures (of Society); Industry; Labor Needs; Skilled Workers; On the Job Training; Industrial Training; Staff Development; Employment Potential; Educational Attainment; Secondary Education; High School Graduates; Employees

Abstract:
In today's job market, middle and high skills jobs--jobs that require some education and training beyond high school--comprise the majority of job openings and typically provide the best wages and opportunities for advancement. And almost every day, there is an article or news story discussing the "skills mismatch" phenomenon, the ongoing challenge employers have in finding qualified and skilled employees to fill the more than 3 million jobs currently open in the United States, even in a time of high unemployment. As policymakers develop policies and programs that aim to ensure that the future U.S. workforce has the academic and technical preparation (from both K-12 and postsecondary education) necessary to access the careers of their choice, it is important to examine the issue from all angles. While there is an increasing amount of research around the education and skills jobs demand, the changing landscape of available jobs, and the role of education and training in addressing this skills mismatch, less is known about how the skills mismatch affects companies' hiring practices--and how companies' hiring practices affect the skills mismatch. For instance, do organizations expect to require higher levels of education for future job openings at some or all job levels? Do the education and skills requirements listed in job postings reflect current hiring practices? What are the most significant changes these HR leaders see for their organizations in the future? And what opportunities are truly available within organizations for advancement, particularly for individuals with lower levels of education and skills? To answer these questions and others, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Achieve partnered on a national survey of nearly 4,700 HR professionals representing nine industries. Major findings from the survey include: (1) Companies are hiring; (2) Demand is growing for more education and skills at all levels; (3) Companies are investing in training for their employees; and (4) Opportunities exist for low skills workers, but there is reason to suspect that these opportunities will shrink in the future. (Contains 7 figures, 6 tables, and 3 endnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Labor Force; Futures (of Society); Social Change; Job Skills; Skilled Occupations; Technical Occupations; Skilled Workers; Employment Qualifications; Postsecondary Education; Educational Attainment; Middle Class; Associate Degrees; Education Work Relationship; Labor Supply; Access to Education; Influence of Technology; Employment Opportunities

Abstract:
The U.S. workforce has undergone significant changes in the past few decades. Increasingly sophisticated technology, changes in the structure of the economy and the growing global marketplace have resulted in employers putting a higher premium than ever on educated workers. Much has been said about the importance of increasing the labor supply for "middle skills jobs," or those jobs that now (compared to decades past) require more than a high school education but less than a bachelor's degree (e.g., associate degree, postsecondary certificate, apprenticeship, etc.). In the past few years, floods of research reports and analyses have explored the growth, demographics, characteristics and importance of middle skills jobs in the United States. This paper seeks to summarize and synthesize that research to help policymakers and advocates understand the research base and its connection to college- and career-ready reforms. If today's students are going to be able to access middle and high skills jobs, they need to graduate from high school with the core knowledge and skills that will prepare them for success in postsecondary education and training--and for success in the careers of their choice. Specifically the paper includes sections on: (1) The Future of the U.S. Workforce; (2) The Mismatch between Workers' Skills, Education Levels and Job Requirements; (3) Many Paths to Education for Middle Skills Jobs; and (4) Middle Skills Jobs and Access to Middle Class Jobs. (Contains 2 figures, 3 tables, and 72 endnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Vocational Education; Longitudinal Studies; Educational Trends; Career Education; Academic Education; Career Readiness; College Readiness; General Education; Labor Market; College Bound Students; High School Graduates; Mathematics Achievement; Credits; Politics of Education

Abstract:
This report examines change and stability across two decades in the sociodemographic characteristics, educational experiences, and postsecondary outcomes of high school graduates with different occupational coursetaking patterns. Occupational coursetaking is part of the broader field of career and technical education (CTE), which also includes general labor market preparation and family and consumer sciences education courses. Historically, CTE and occupational studies provided low-achieving or academically disengaged students with courses that prepared them for immediate entry into the labor market. However, the expansion of new types of career education within magnet schools, career academies, and traditional high schools, and the increasingly accepted perspective that all students can benefit from training that improves their workplace skills, suggests that the older dichotomies between college-bound academic education and work-oriented occupational preparation are less salient. To examine whether this is the case, this report uses descriptive statistics to analyze changes across three high school cohorts--the graduating classes of 1982, 1992, and 2004--and compares their involvement in CTE and occupational courses, their academic coursetaking and achievement outcomes, and their initial postsecondary school and work experiences. Nationally representative data come from a series of secondary longitudinal studies conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics: High School and Beyond Study of 1980 Sophomores, the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, and the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002. Results show that CTE, as measured by occupational coursetaking, has moved from being a clearly delineated vocational track for graduates headed to jobs immediately after high school to an exploratory program for an increasing proportion of both academic and general curriculum graduates. This shift from "track to field" involves smaller groups of graduates intensively studying an occupational area and larger groups of graduates earning a few occupational credits. It also coincides with shifts toward more academic coursetaking, improved academic achievement in math, and more involvement in postsecondary education for those with more involvement in occupational preparation. The following are appended: (1) Technical Notes; (2) Standard Errors for Main Tables; (3) Fixed-effects Regression Analysis of Mathematics Achievement and Occupational Coursetaking: 1992 and 2004; and (4) CSSC Codes and Titles for Coursetaking Subjects and Areas. [This report was prepared as a background report for the National Assessment of Career and Technical Education (NACTE) and submitted to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Under Secretary, Policy and Program Studies Service. The report was funded under ED Contract No. ED-04-CO-0030/0002: Analytic, Evaluation, and Policy Support for the Policy and Program Studies Service.] (Contains 76 tables, 6 figures, 2 exhibits, and 11 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Wages; On the Job Training; Work Experience; Employment Qualifications; Associate Degrees; High School Graduates; Occupations; Employment Opportunities; Job Skills; Outcomes of Education; Postsecondary Education; Certification

Abstract:
There are lots of ways to enter a high-paying career without having a bachelor's degree. An associate's degree, a postsecondary non-degree award, or a high school diploma--often coupled with work experience in a related occupation, on-the-job training, or both--can lead to a job that really pays off. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 80 occupations typically require less than a bachelor's degree to enter and had median annual wages of over $50,000 in May 2010. Some of them had median wages that were much higher than that. The occupations are diverse and wide ranging. This article looks at these occupations in greater detail. It uses BLS data to show how much workers earn and the number of expected job openings from 2010 to 2020. It also explains the education and training workers typically need to enter these occupations and to become competent at performing them. The first section of the article is about education and earnings--and describes the terms used by BLS. The second section presents high-paying occupations for three education levels: (1) associate's degree; (2) postsecondary non-degree award; and (3) high school diploma. This article also provides ways to learn more about the occupations. (Contains 3 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Student Records; Unemployment; Dropouts; Insurance; Labor Market; Education Work Relationship; High School Graduates; Graduation; Outcomes of Education; Income; Urban Schools; Public Schools; At Risk Students; Minority Group Children; Racial Differences; Gender Differences; Educational Attainment; Reading Skills; Employment Level; African Americans; Hispanic Americans; Whites; Asian Americans; Postsecondary Education; Occupations

Abstract:
Despite the proliferation of data about student performance, secondary school educators have had difficulty accessing data on their former students' post-high school employment and earnings in the formal economy. This article describes how one community used state unemployment insurance data, merged with student record data, to investigate the early labor market outcomes of dropouts and graduates. The authors explain how they merged the data and present findings from the descriptive research questions that were addressed with these data. (Contains 9 tables, 1 figure, and 1 note.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Educational Policy; Vocational Education; College Graduates; Labor Market; Economics; Job Skills; Higher Education; Education Work Relationship; Postsecondary Education; Compensation (Remuneration); Measurement

Abstract:
This paper uses panel data and econometric methods to estimate the incidence and the dynamic properties of overskilling among employed individuals. The paper begins by asking whether there is extensive overskilling in the labour market, and whether overskilling differs by education pathway. The answer to both questions is yes. The paper continues by asking whether overskilling is a self-perpetuating labour market state (state dependence), and whether state dependence differs by education pathway. Overskilled workers with a higher degree show the highest state dependence, while workers with vocational education show none. Workers with no post-school qualifications are somewhere between these two groups. The finding that higher degree graduates suffer the greatest overskilling state dependence, combined with the well-established finding that they also suffer the highest overskilling wage penalty, suggests that the cost of mismatch among this grouping are greater relative to vocationally qualified workers. (Contains 6 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Unemployment; Supply and Demand; Public Policy; Job Development; Metropolitan Areas; Employment Opportunities; Labor Market; Trend Analysis; Education Work Relationship; Educational Demand; Labor Needs; Labor Demands; Predictor Variables; Data Analysis; Employment Statistics; Statistical Analysis; Skilled Workers; Academic Achievement

Abstract:
This paper aims to provide metro, state, and national policy makers with a better sense of the specific problems facing metropolitan labor markets. First, the analysis examines trends in the demand for educated labor and how a gap between education supply and demand is related to unemployment. Next, it attempts to distinguish between cyclical and structural effects before turning to an explanation of how an education gap might affect both by limiting job creation. It concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for public policy. Appended to this document is "Comparing Openings data across sources: HWOL vs. JOLTS." (Contains 12 tables, 9 figures, and 53 endnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Employment Level; Vocational Education; Secondary School Curriculum; Education Work Relationship; Demography; Progress Monitoring; Expectation; Longitudinal Studies; Predictor Variables; Employment Opportunities; Outcomes of Education; Gender Differences; Racial Differences; Labor Market; Vocational Maturity; Data Analysis; Developmental Studies Programs; Statistical Data; High School Graduates

Abstract:
Sparked by the current economic situation in the U.S., policymakers have begun to shift their concern from solely concentrating on the preparation of students for college to preparing them for the workforce as well. Thus, it is time for CTE to understand its impact on students' long-term trajectories. The purpose of this study was to predict employment status in 2006 (using the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth data set), based on demographic variables, high school curriculum tracks, and employment expectations. Findings indicated that general track graduates were 1.8 times more likely than CTE track graduates to be employed. Implications of this study point to the pressing need for further research on employment outcomes of CTE graduates and the importance of high school students gaining skills for employment. (Contains 3 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
High School Graduates; Employment Opportunities; Employment Potential; Educational Attainment; Secondary Education; Economic Climate; Economic Change; Middle Class; Skilled Workers; Labor Force; Futures (of Society); Wages; Quality of Life; Career Development

Abstract:
The U.S. economy has undergone dramatic changes in recent decades. Jobs that required limited skills--but still paid a family-supporting wage--have disappeared and increasingly have been replaced with jobs that either require higher levels of education and skills "or" require little education and training but offer no pathways to careers (e.g., no advancement or benefits). Simply put, increasingly sophisticated technology, changes in the structure of the economy and the growing global marketplace have put a premium on educated and skilled workers. The reality is that high school graduates without additional education and training face mostly dim and dead-end career prospects. And those prospects are far dimmer for those who fail to finish high school. There is no question that middle skills jobs are important to help ensure future U.S. competitiveness and offer individuals a path to middle class wages and upward mobility. Yet with all of the attention on high and middle skills jobs, the question remains: "What are the career prospects for individuals with only a high school diploma or less?" Or put another way, is education beyond high school really necessary to ensure a middle class lifestyle, a good living wage and career advancement opportunities? Achieve commissioned original research to explore this question and found that the answer is a resounding "yes." Students with a high school diploma (or less) and no additional education and training are by and large eligible only for "low skills" jobs, which offer limited career and earning prospects over a lifetime. (Contains 1 figure, 3 tables, and 8 endnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Curriculum Development; State Regulation; Labor Market; Quality Control; Skilled Workers; Educational Change; Foreign Countries; Developed Nations; Job Security; Vocational Education; Public Policy; Skill Development; Intervention; Unemployment; Social Differences; Job Skills

Abstract:
This paper examines experiences with "skills development" in South Africa to contribute to broader debates about "skills" and the relationships between vocational education and development. Numerous policy interventions and the creation of new institutions and systems for skills development in South Africa are widely seen as having failed to lead to an increase in numbers of skilled workers. I analyze some of the underlying reasons for this by considering South African policies and systems in the light of research in developed countries. The dominant view in South African media and policy circles is that a skills shortage, coupled with an inflexible labour market, are the leading causes of unemployment. This has led to a policy preoccupation with skills as part of a "self-help" agenda, alongside policies such as wage subsidies and a reduction of protective legislation for young workers, instead of collective responsibility for social welfare. Skills policies have also been part of a policy paradigm which emphasized state regulation through qualification and quality assurance reform, with very little emphasis on building provision systems and on curriculum development. The South African experience exemplifies how difficult it is to develop robust and coherent skills development in the context of inadequate social security, high levels of job insecurity, and high levels of inequalities. It also demonstrates some of the weaknesses of so-called "market-led" vocational education. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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