OpInform 2014Middle-Skills

Learning Opportunities within

SUNY

OpInform 2014

Jeff Livingston: The Most Neglected Skills

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What are Middle-Skill jobs?

Jobs that require more than a high school education but less than a bachelor’s degree.

Include occupations such as machinists, technicians and healthcare workers.

Account for nearly half of all current jobs in New York, and the majority of future job openings.

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The Forgotten Middle A growing gap between qualified middle-skill employees

and middle-skill jobs. There are approximately 4 million unfilled middle-skill jobs

(Dimon, 2014). In 2009, 46% of jobs in NYS were middle-skill (3.8 million

workers) Workers with two-year degrees in high demand occupations

can earn salaries that surpass those of four-year degrees (Carnevale, Rose, & Cheah, 2011).

Two-year degree holders in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math) have greater lifetime earnings than four-year degree holders in most other career areas.

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The “College-for-All” Mentality “Encourages all students to plan on college, regardless of

their past achievement” (Rosenbaum, 2001). Pushes underprepared students toward a four-year college

at the expense of vocational programs. Has created an surplus of four-year college graduates that

exceeds the number of college-level jobs available.35% of all four-year college graduates currently have

jobs that require less than a college degree (Vedder, 2010).

12 to 24 million U.S. jobs – most requiring middle-skills training – may go unfilled between now and 2020 (Gordon, 2009).

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Manpower Group Annual Survey revealstop 10 hardest jobs to fill in the U.S. in 2013:

Skilled Trades Sales Representatives Drivers IT Staff Accounting & Finance Staff Engineers Technicians Management/Executives Mechanics Teachers

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SUNY Middle-skill training opportunities

Middle-

Skills SUNY

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Computers

Support Specialist

Information Systems

SUNY Associate Program Options

Computer Information

Systems (Several Tech Colleges and

CCs)

Information Technology

(Several Tech Colleges and

CCs)

Networking Technologies (Several Tech Colleges an

Several CCs )

Cybersecurity (Alfred and Several CCs)

Geospatial Technologies

(MVCC)

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Construction

Carpenters

SUNY Program Options

Diesel Technology(Alfred, Cobleskill, Morrisville)

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Healthcare

Dental Hygienist

Possible SUNY Program Options

Histo-technician(Cobleskill)

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Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

Aircraft Mechanics

Related SUNY Program Options

HVAC(Alfred, Canton, Delhi, and CCs)

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Public Safety

EMT, Paramedic

SUNY Program Options

Criminal Justice/Home-land Security(Canton, Delhi, Farmingdale and CCs)

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Service

Chef

SUNY Program Options

Culinary Arts(Alfred, Cobleskill, Delhi, Morrisville and some CCs)

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Green Energy

Conservation

SUNY Program Options

Renewable Energy Technologies (Canton, Clinton, Jefferson, Morrisville)

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Other

Architectural

Drafters

SUNY Program Options

Drafting (Alfred and several CCs)

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SourcesCarnevale, A. P., Rose, S. J., & Cheah, B. (2011). The college payoff: Education, occupations, lifetime earnings. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

Goodwin, B. (2012, April). Research says/don’t overlook middle-skill jobs. College, Careers, Citizenship, 69, 86-87.

Gordon, E. E. (2009, September). The future of jobs and careers. Techniques, 84(6), 28-31.

New York’s forgotten middle-skill jobs. (March, 2011). National Skills Coalition. Retrieved from http://www.fmsworkforcesolutions.org/Middle-Skills%20Jobs%20report%20(r).pdf

Rosenbaum, J. (2001). Beyond college for all: Career paths for the forgotten half. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Vedder, R. (2010, December). The great college degree scam [blog post]. Retrieved from Innovations: Insights and Commentary on Higher Education, Chronicle of Higher Education at http://chronicle.com/blogs/innovations/the-great-college-degree-scam/28067