Facts and Figures

The need for workers with credentials attained through career and technical education is very real as demonstrated by surveys of current employers and projections of future occupation growth.

“Almost 40 percent of employers say a lack of skills is the main reason for entry level vacancies.” - Education to Employment Report: Designing a System that Works (McKinsey)

“One national data source suggests that close to 60 million people, or 42 percent of the workforce, need some form of occupational certification, registration, or licensure to perform their jobs. Some 45 million of these certifications are test based.” Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements through 2018 (Georgetown)

“Among working youth, only 55 percent landed in a job relevant to their field of study, with 25 percent finding interim work- jobs that are unrelated to their field of study and that youth plan to leave quickly.” - Education to Employment Report: Designing a System that Works (McKinsey)

“By 2010, 16 OECD countries had established targeted tax incentives for high-skilled workers.” - Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Lives: Highlights of the OECD Skills Strategy (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development)

“Jobs requiring only short-term training and little other formal education will provide about 22 million openings, or another 40 percent of the total.” - America’s Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs (The Workforce Alliance)