| S2C Indiana Platform
Senate Resolution 0085
INDIANA STATE SENATORS RECOGNIZE IMPORTANCE OF MIDDLE-SKILLS JOBS - Press Release April 25, 2011
Audio Briefings:
Listen to audio clips from a press conference about the release of Indiana's Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs report.
Introduction and Report Overview | Andrea Ray, Regional Field Director, National Skills Coalition
Campaign Lead | Sarah Downing, Research & Policy Analyst, Indiana Institute for Working Families, a program of Indiana Community Action Association
Employer Perspective | Jennifer Olson, Coordinator, Employee Education and Development, The Learning Alliance, Clarian Health Partners
Indiana's Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs- Print Version
Indiana's Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs- Web Version
The National Skills Coalition, formerly the Workforce Alliance, launched a national Skills2Compete Campaign in 2007 based on the following challenge:
Every U.S. worker should have access to the equivalent of at least two years of education or training past high school—leading to a vocational credential, industry certification, or one's first two years of college—to be pursued at whatever point and pace makes sense for individual workers and industries. Every person must also have access to the basic skills needed to pursue such education.
Since 2007, eleven other states throughout the U.S. have conducted Skills2Compete Campaigns in their states. Given that there are 650,000 Hoosier workers who lack a college education and as a result are earning less than a self-sufficient wage, Indiana Institute for Working Families is partnering with the National Skills Coalition and representatives from business, labor, education, and government to bring greater awareness to the need to match the skills of Indiana’s workers with the demands its workforce. An analysis of the 21 century-labor market, written by labor economists Harry Holzer and Robert Lerman, calls attention to the segment of jobs that compose the majority of current and future jobs in the U.S. economy. These jobs are “middle-skilled jobs” — those that require skills past high school— but not necessarily a four-year college degree.
Middle-skills jobs are a critical component of Indiana’s economy and workers need to acquire the skills and education required to fill these positions. The Skills2Compete campaign creates a platform by which to bring greater attention to middle-skilled jobs and the workers we need to fill them that are often forgotten by most of today’s higher education debates. The campaign consists of three main components.
First, is establishing a core advisory committee of diverse stakeholders. Indian’s core advisory committee consists of representatives from organized labor, government, education, community organizations, and business. The second, and key component, of the Skills2Compete campaign is producing a labor market analysis for Indiana modeled after America’s Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs (the report for the national Skills2Compete Campaign). The data contained in the report will help to bring new attention to Indiana’s labor market skill demands as well as to develop and produce policy priorities that address industries’ needs for skilled workers and workers needs for accessible and affordable postsecondary credentials.
Lastly, a state-wide media campaign will be launched to bring attention to findings of the Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs report through targeted media outreach. The media campaign will be conducted in partnership with a communications firm, seasoned in workforce issues and successful in securing 35 media placements for the Illinois Skills2Compete campaign, to coordinate this outreach. The firm will develop press releases and story angles, as well as pitch reporters in identified media markets, prep campaign spokespeople (i.e. employers, practitioners, and middle-skill workers) to talk to the press, and arrange press briefings.
Skills2Compete Campaigns across the nation have had tangible impact on changing the tone of policy discussions in their respective states while cultivating a host of new allies in support of an expanded skills agenda. Indiana’s Skills2Compete Campaign is actively mobilizing stakeholders around the campaign’s policy goals, will work to bring increased press attention to Indiana’s forgotten middle-skills jobs and the workers needed to fill them, and will present these issues to Indiana’s state and national policymakers in order to build awareness and interest in advancing the skill levels of Indiana’s workforce.
What are the key messages that the report seeks to convey?
- Middle-skill jobs make up the largest portion of jobs in the state’s labor market now and into the foreseeable future.
- The state faces a middle-skills gap. It’s not training enough workers for middle-skill job openings.
- The future of the state’s workforce is largely composed of workers already in the labor market today and far removed from the K-12 to college pipeline.
- The state needs a new vision (known as 21st Century Skills Guarantee) for its economy to address labor market demand for middle-skills and connect workers with training to meet this demand:
Every working Hoosier should have access to the equivalent of at least two years of education or training past high school – leading to a vocational credential, industry certification, or one’s first two years of college – to be pursued at whatever point and pace makes sense for individual workers and industries. Every person must also have access to the basic skills needed to pursue such education.
What is the definition of Middle-Skill Jobs?
We typically use this as the standard definition:
Middle-skill jobs require more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year college degree. The term middle-skill refers to the level of education and training required by a particular job. It should not be confused with the actual competence and capacity of workers and occupations — many middle-skill occupations require highly skilled trade and technical workers
In the report, we also call attention to the types of middle-skill jobs in the section “The Face of Middle-Skill Jobs.” Examples include police officers, fire fighters, medical technicians, air traffic controllers, electricians, and mechanics.
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