Mind the Gap: Skills, Degrees and Work in America

MIDDLE SKILLS: MORE Workforce middle skills - those less than a college degree but more than a high school THAN A DIPLOMA, LESS diploma - have been largely overlooked in the push for nationwide college attainment. How- THAN A DEGREE ever, with the inflation of college degrees, a broader national conversation is surfacing: the need for new paths to career development, HERE'S HOW IT'S CHANGING THE and alternative ways to gain it besides a U.S. EDUCATION LANDSCAPE college degree. П AFTER HIGH SCHOOL MIDDLE SKILLS: WHERE ARE THE JOBS? THE COMPANY GAP 73% of U.S. 2/3 of U.S. high school graduates are enrolled in college - the highest percentage this country has ever seen 4/5 jobs lost during the recession were those requiring high school education or less companies expect demand for middle skills jobs to increase In 2012, 1/2 of jobs available in the U.S. 69% say performance is affected by inability were for occupations that typically require training somewhere between a high school diploma and a college degree About 7% of the 69% nation's 18-24 year-olds dropped out of high school in 2013 to find talent3 76% of businesses need improved So what happens to the nearly 1/3 of high school graduates who don't go to college? There are roughly 3 mllllon skilled labor communications and 3M coordination with jobs that no one wants or knows abouts 2-year degree programs / techni- cal certifications THE "MIDDLE SKILLS" QUESTION IMP ACTS ALL CORNERS OF THE U.S. WORKFORCE AND EDUCATION. There is a tremendous unmet demand within the U.S. economy for skilled, educated workers. Credentialing, alternate skills training and new approaches to workforce development have become a focus of the White House, and will continue to become a hot education issue in 2015/16. Edelman