SO- WE HAVE ALL THIS TALK ABOUT RAISING THE EDUCATION BAR- TO FIND A JOB.
AND THE JOBS THAT ARE HERE- ARE NOT JOBS TODAYS WORKERS WANT TO WORK AT ANYMORE DUE TO THE ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY OF "FACTORY JOBS"- WHICH CAN VANISH OVERSEAS AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT.
SO-
TODAYS WORKERS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE STUDYING FOR OTHER FIELDS.
ITS HIGH TIME THE LOCAL "ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EXPERTS"- AND THE REST - START TO DIVERSIFY THE LOCAL ECONOMY- TO BE MORE WELCOMING TO THESE NEW ECONOMY WORKERS..
WHEN BUGGYWHIPS AND BUGGY WHIP FACTORIES ARE UNDESIRABLE; AND OBSOLETE- MORE BETTER EDUCATED BUGGY WHIP WORKERS IS JUST STUPID.. DUH!
COMMENTARY NUMBER 2:
HOW ABOUT FREE- UNIVERSAL POST HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION FOR ALL HOOSIER CITIZENS; PAID FOR BY A NOMINAL"EDUCATION INVESTMENT TAX"- which will fund all INDIANA PUBLIC COLLEGES? THAT would most assuredly RAISE THE BAR on HOOSIER EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT- AND- also- how about the jobs that ARE here; to pay a college graduate wage?
its a CATCH 22..
http://www.fortwayne.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150313/EDITORIAL/320157132/1024/EDITORIAL
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Posted on Wed. Mar. 18, 2015 - 12:01 am EDT
COMMUNITY VOICENortheast Indiana has committed to a Big Goal
Workers in our region are confronting this stark reality. Less than 37 percent of northeast Indiana’s workforce have the kind of degree or credentialed skill that employers are looking for today. The data and research are clear; by 2025 more than 60 percent of jobs will require education beyond high school, whether that is a two- or four-year degree or a professional credential such as a technical certification. More than ever before, formal education or specialized training will be the key to your personal success at work. At a media conference in mid-January, IPFW officials released the findings of a study identifying the types of training that area employers seek the most. Survey results showed the most interest in the fields of leadership development, computer training, lean manufacturing, and Spanish for healthcare professionals. In the same study, employers identified degree areas with the highest current and near-future demand in our region. The list includes business/management, organizational leadership and supervision, and communication. These findings are directly in line with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development’s (DWD) newest “Hoosier Hot 50” list of the top 50 high-wage jobs in the state by 2022. More than half of the jobs on the Hot 50 list are in STEM-related fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Nearly 90 percent of the jobs require some type of post-secondary certificate or degree. Most importantly, 40 percent of the jobs are new to the list. Think about those statistics for a moment. Twenty of the 50 top high-wage jobs that the experts anticipate will become foundational to our state’s economy just joined the list this year. More than 25 of the Hot 50 job list are in fields requiring formal education in STEM. Just to get a chance at working in 40 of the 50 jobs on the list, you will need education or training beyond high school. Statistics like these are the very reason why northeast Indiana has committed to the “Big Goal.” There is no question that our region needs educational institutions from early childhood through higher education to be aligned in preparing students for the best and most exciting opportunities in our immediate future. The Big Goal is one of seven priorities identified by Vision 2020 as crucial to achieving a fundamental transformation in our region’s economy. It aims to increase the percentage of northeast Indiana residents with high-quality degrees or credentials to 60 percent by 2025. To compete in today’s global marketplace, we must work together to reach the Big Goal. Employers have opportunities today for not just any worker, but those who bring skill and knowledge to the stiff competition for jobs in a global marketplace. Our region must secure a renewed commitment to lifelong learning that leads to high quality employment opportunities, and IPFW is a critical partner in this effort. Annually, over half of IPFW graduates remain in northeast Indiana, living, working and contributing to the northeast Indiana economy. Their unique knowledge, expertise and work ethic are much more likely to stay right here in Northeast Indiana, allowing employers to grow and improve our quality of life. IPFW is “all in” in their commitment to increase the number of graduates in the region. Last fall, the school launched the Tuition Incentive Program (TIP), a special program offering half off of tuition rates to students who had left school before finishing their degrees. If those students met certain criteria they could return to complete degree requirements at a substantial discount. The program was a great success with over 100 students back in the classroom and contributing to the region’s Big Goal. This innovation is inspiring similar programs elsewhere in the state. During this legislative session, one of Northeast Indiana’s legislators, Representative Casey Cox, authored HB1262 to require the Indiana Commission on Higher Education (ICHE) to model a similar program statewide. IPFW is helping to set the course to achieve the Big Goal and a brighter future for the residents of northeast Indiana!
John Sampson is president and CEO of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, and Kathleen Randolph is president and CEO of Northeast Indiana Works.
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Posted on Fri. Mar. 13, 2015 - 12:01 am EDT
COMMUNITY VOICEEducation is key to jobs of the future
Thanks to the leadership shown by our elected officials and the work of state and local economic development organizations, unemployment in Indiana is under 6 percent, but as we look ahead, we cannot ignore the fact that hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers are not yet equipped to adapt to the careers Indiana will need over the next 10 years. Of the “Hoosier Hot 50 Jobs,” more than 30 require at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. This especially impacts those who wish to become a registered nurse or K-12 teacher, the report’s top two professions. Indiana has made great strides in recent years toward building an attractive business climate for the high-tech information and health care sectors creating new jobs, nearly all of which require applicants to have completed their undergraduate studies. The reality is, while these types of jobs are growing, the number of good jobs that are obtainable with just a high school diploma or GED become fewer each year. Indiana’s commissioner of higher education estimated in her “State of Higher Education” speech this month that by 2025 two-thirds of Hoosier jobs will require a quality degree. This is why post-secondary education is a necessity in our 21st-century workforce. Fortunately, it has never been easier to find options that accommodate any student, whether that is a traditional state university, a community college or an online institution. This fall, thousands of new freshmen will enroll in Indiana’s colleges and universities, but according to the National Center for Education Statistics, less than 60 percent of those first-time, full-time students will graduate in under six years. President Obama has laid out a plan to increase enrollment in the nation’s community colleges, but only 15 percent of students who enroll in a community college go on to obtain a bachelor’s degree within six years. People are busy. In fact, it’s often our busy lifestyles that prevent Hoosiers from following a traditional four-year college degree track or from pursuing additional educational opportunities later in life. However, the statistics show that there is a need for a skilled workforce here in Indiana, both now and in the decade to come. Whether you are a young person who has attempted but never completed a college degree or a midcareer professional juggling family and work obligations, there are a wide variety of options across Indiana to help you get the education and training you need for the jobs of the future. The next time you’re considering a career change, make sure you’re giving yourself every possible advantage to be successful by furthering your education if you can. It’s not too late; the jobs await.
Allison Barber, Ph.D., is chancellor of WGU Indiana.
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