Lumina Foundation’s Post

The value of higher education is on the rise. Within seven years, a Georgetown report predicts college graduates and higher-level trained individuals will secure a whopping 85% of good jobs. The report, "The Future of Good Jobs: Projections Through 2031,” also highlights: 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵: Good jobs in the US will grow to 87.8 million by 2031, an increase of 21% from 2021. 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: • 15% of good jobs will be available to workers on the high school pathway. • 66% will be on the bachelor's degree pathway. • 19% will be on the middle-skills pathway. 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆: • 36% of all jobs on the high school pathway will be good. • 79% on the bachelor's degree pathway will be good. • 52% on the middle-skills pathway will be good. 🔗 Read the report: https://lnkd.in/gUZnuZA6 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce #HigherEducation #HigherEd #Degrees #Jobs #

The report by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, "The Future of Good Jobs: Projections through 2031," shows that economic opportunities will increasingly favor workers with higher levels of education and training. By 2031, only 15% will be accessible to workers with just a high school diploma, compared to 66% for those with a bachelor's degree and 19% for those on the middle-skills pathway. Rest assured, the report confirms good jobs will exist across all educational pathways. However, education and training beyond high school remain critical for higher-wage careers. Our focus at TFF is to offer financial assistance and coaching for targeted short-term education and training, helping a diverse range of individuals secure high-wage employment. Our program's participants are likelier to obtain employment, leading to career stabilization and greater economic mobility. See the report here 👉https://bit.ly/3BbsP88 #careertraining #skillsdevelopment #careerdevelopment #upskilling #reskilling #professionaldevelopment #jobreadiness #futureofwork #chartyourfuture #northcarolina

Understanding the future job market is crucial for educational institutions. Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce predicts that by 2031, most 'good jobs'—those offering security and higher wages—will require at least a postsecondary credential. This underscores the enduring importance of higher education in driving economic mobility for young people. https://hubs.li/Q02Lh6k00

Economic opportunity will increasingly favor workers with higher levels of education and training, according to a new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW). The report “The Future of Good Jobs: Projections through 2031” forecasts the number of good jobs in 2031 for workers ages 25–64 by 22 occupational groups and three educational pathways (bachelor’s degree, middle skills, and high school). While the value of higher education faces growing skepticism, this report shows that the bachelor’s degree pathway will be the dominant route to a good job in 2031, with a majority of good jobs forecasted to lie on the bachelor’s degree pathway.  https://lnkd.in/gfzigVEJ

This Georgetown University report is a big deal for anyone thinking about their #careerpath or future #education. It's telling us that a #bachelorsdegree is becoming increasingly essential for landing a well-paying, stable job. If you're a student, this highlights the value of pursuing #highereducation. It's not just about the degree itself, but the skills and knowledge you gain that make you more competitive in the #jobmarket. For those already in the #workforce, it might be a good time to consider going back to school or pursuing additional training to stay ahead of the curve. The report also raises some concerns about #inequality. If good jobs are increasingly requiring a #collegedegree, it could leave those without one behind. This could exacerbate existing #incomedisparities and limit #upwardmobility for certain groups. It's a reminder that we need to invest in education and training programs that are accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or #socioeconomicstatus.

Higher ed shouldn't get too complacent about this new report, because these good jobs are in a range of jobs that actually kind of suck. First the topline news in 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘑𝘰𝘣𝘴: 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 2031 from Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce https://lnkd.in/g5tm_-DN It forecasts where good jobs will be and traces the educational paths to them. It shows that the availability of those jobs break out like this: • 15% to high-school-only graduates • 19% to the middle-skills pathway (more than a diploma; less than a bachelor's) • 66% to bachelor’s degree graduates Great news, right? Higher ed wins in head-to-head comparison. It is the most secure path to a good job. But let’s look at what that is: "CEW defines a good job as one that pays, nationally, a minimum of $43,000 to workers ages 25–44 and a minimum of $55,000 to workers ages 45–64, with a median of $82,000 for all good jobs." I'm not criticizing the report. That seems like a sound measure for the purposes of their analysis. But is this good job good enough? Educators should ask themselves if this definition of a good job is what they want for their students. Imagine half of your graduates halfway through their careers and earning less than $82,000. Is that career and economic success? Going to college may have been better for those students than the alternative, but has college delivered on its potential? In my opinion, no. Poking around in different calculators online, $82,000 puts a household with one earner with one child in the middle of the middle class. I would argue that half of graduates at less than the middle of the middle class (which is an increasingly vulnerable position in the U.S.) is far less than higher ed has the potential to deliver. Another way of saying this is that most people do need a college degree but, even with it, they still are only at a coin flip's chance of economic security. Any my hopes for higher ed are higher than that. It's necessary but not sufficient. Higher ed is the better bet for most people in this comparison set. But we have to remember the best route to good jobs compared to other weak choices doesn't mean it is a secure route. Too many college students are preparing for jobs that are not in the good jobs category. And too many graduates are underemployed. Scott Pulsipher posted about this yesterday, citing Strada Education Foundation data. When most colleges mail invites to the 10-year reunion, 45% of them are going to people in jobs that don't require a degree. https://lnkd.in/g2hq-PKA ___ Higher ed can't compare itself to the alternative and get complacent. It has to assume the middle class is an island that will continue to erode underneath the feet of its graduates … and prepare them for more security than that.

The college-vs-skills debate is noisy and too rarely constructive. New research released today by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce provides some clear signal amidst the noise: 📈 The number of #goodjobs will grow through 2031 (woop!) 🎓 The #bachelorsdegree is and will remain the surest path to a good job 🛠 But the *right* non-BA path, especially those in construction etc., are also paths to good jobs; program details matter a ton outside the BA The implications: ✔ Help more low-income students succeed on the BA path. We know the value of doing so, and mostly know how to do it, just need to do it. ✔ Help #communitycolleges build stronger connections with business so they can offer programs leading to those good jobs. Delivering on the potential of CCs to connect folks to $50K, $70K jobs currently going to BA grads is perhaps the greatest opportunity we have for, er, opportunity expansion. ✔ Keep pushing to ensure high school students have strong math and language skills when they graduate; many of the well-paid #skilledtrades roles require a lot of math! But read the report, reflect on the data, and make up your own mind. Thanks to JPMorganChase for supporting research like this and to the CEW team for letting me write the Foreword to the report :) Jeff Strohl Artem Gulish Catherine Morris Anthony Carnevale #careerpathways #collegeaccess #collegeaccessandsuccess #highered #skilledtrades #skillsbasedhiring #skills #talent #wkdev https://lnkd.in/gdqiqHUR

Agree with Matt on the noise factor. To college or not to college, that is the question. And the US is having an identity crisis. With so much emphasis for the past 40-50 year on college, but 70% of the US opting out, we need to stop seeing college as a one size fits all. Skills and experience are keys to a better outcome. Sure, college is generally seen as a leading indicator of success but if 9 years of apprenticeship has taught me anything, it’s that college is not THE indicator. Many of our placements don’t have degrees or any college experience, and yet retention is the same for both our degree’d and non-degree’d apprentices. We need to shift our philosophical view on this at the corporate level, and quickly.

📢 ICYMI: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce released "The Future of Good Jobs," which shows that graduating from college will remain a very strong predictor of who in our country can secure a job that pays a living wage. The bachelor’s degree pathway will offer the largest number of good jobs--over 58 million. That's an increase of 11 million jobs over 2024 levels. 💡Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gUZnuZA6

The Good Jobs Report is out - learning via #highereducation will continue to matter as will continual upskilling: “Even against a backdrop of economic uncertainty—driven by high inflation and interest rates, generative AI, international conflicts, changing demographics, and a shifting policy environment—the future of good jobs in the US looks promising. Economic opportunity will increasingly favor workers with higher levels of education and training.”