A new report says unless steps are taken immediately, New York is not is going to be able to fill the jobs of the future . A report released in Albany Tuesday finds a “skills gap” exists in New York State – especially in the Capital Region, where high-tech jobs are growing as the area embraces its “tech valley” moniker with the expansion of chip fabrication and nanotechnology. But at the same time, the report warns of growing numbers of "unprepared students and unprepared workers."
The study by America’s Edge, a membership organization of business leaders under the umbrella of the non-profit Council for a Strong America, says seven in 10 jobs created in New York from 2008 to 2018 will require some type of formal education beyond high school, and more than 80 percent of the fastest growing and high-salaried jobs will require at least a two-year degree.
I asked Center For Economic Growth Senior Vice President David Rooney how New York got into this state of unpreparedness. The report urges support for implementation of "college- and career-ready standards and evidence-based high school models." New York State Director of America's Edge Jenn O’Connor says she recognizes the state’s teachers and the education department are at odds over how Common Core testing is being administered.
Dan Moran with career-transition management firm NextAct of Colonie advises students the time to learn needed skills - is now.
The report warns it’ll be difficult to create a pipeline of skilled workers when 23 percent of high school students fail to graduate on time, only 37 percent of public school students graduate “college and career ready,” and too many drop out.
