Good Jobs Will Not Require College Prep

[George Sheridan <learn@jps.net>]

 According to the most detailed study ever of the work force requirements of the
six-county Sacramento region, tens of thousands of jobs that pay well and offer
stable career paths but do not require four years of college will become
available in this region in the next seven years.

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1015841.html



By 2015, a regional job surge is forecast, but it poses a quandary
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Vocations won't need a 4-year degree
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By Deb Kollars - dkollars@sacbee.com

Last Updated Monday, June 16, 2008
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A18

 A fresh jobs forecast for the Sacramento region shows tens of thousands of new
openings coming our way, but not all are the type public schools are emphasizing.

Although a major push has taken hold in public schools to get all high school
graduates ready for college, the new work force study found the vast majority of
jobs will require no postsecondary education.

"Employers are going to have a lot of jobs, good quality jobs, that won't require
four years of college," said David N. Butler, chief executive officer of the
nonprofit Linking Education and Economic Development, or LEED, which was involved
in the study.

The 2008 Regional Workforce Forecast, released earlier this month, is a massive
and unprecedented look at the jobs picture for the six-county Sacramento region.
The study looked closely at 75 key industries that account for more than 80
percent of the region's employment. By 2015, those industries will include almost
900,000 jobs.

The $110,000 study was conducted by the Sacramento Regional Research Institute.
It was initiated by Partnership for Prosperity, an alliance of local economic
development organizations, and managed by Valley Vision, a nonprofit group
dedicated to regional problem solving.

According to the forecast, the bulk of the fastest growing job categories are
low-paying, low-skilled occupations such as food service, retail sales, cashiers
and office clerks. While some may view the trend as disappointing, Butler said,
such jobs are considered the backbone of any economy.

"These are foundational jobs. People move in and out of them," Butler said.

In addition, a wide array of jobs will open in sectors such as health care,
construction and technology that will provide decent salaries and stable career
paths without requiring four or more years of college.

According to the forecast, about 30 percent of the jobs in the 75 key industries
will require some level of college, either two-year, four-year or beyond.
Teaching and nursing are among the top growing fields in this realm.

The 30 percent figure runs slightly higher than the state and nation and bodes
well for the area's economy, said Ryan Sharp, director of the Sacramento Regional
Research Institute.

But it challenges a common wisdom of some public schools: that every high school
graduate should be academically prepared to enter a four-year university.


Career-technical education

The new study should open a healthy debate about what kinds of programs schools
should offer to get kids ready for the work force, Butler and others said. LEED
will address the issue in coming months.

Many districts increasingly are moving toward the goal of requiring all graduates
to meet the requirements for getting into the University of California and
California State University systems. It is a high bar, requiring laboratory
sciences, math through algebra 2 and other tough courses.

The shift has come in response to calls from employers for a better educated work
force and widespread concerns that too many students were tracked into
lower-level courses that left them ineligible for college.

Some educators and employers have been critical of the push for more rigor,
saying schools should provide more vocational type courses, known as
"career-technical" education.

The new work force study will guide schools, colleges and training programs in
finding the right balance, said Bill Mueller, chief operating officer and
managing partner of Valley Vision.

"Should we make all kids UC-ready? That is what this study elevates as a point of
debate," Mueller said, noting that Valley Vision is neutral on the point. "It's
good to challenge assumptions."

For school districts, it is a complicated equation. How much rigor is enough? At
what point do higher standards cause struggling students to lose heart and drop
out? What if a student follows a vocational path and later discovers college
would be a better choice?

Patrick Godwin, superintendent of the Folsom-Cordova Unified School District,
said schools need to be strong on both fronts. Folsom-Cordova, he said, is trying
to ramp up academic rigor for all students, while also offering more
career-technical courses in the culinary arts, technology and other fields.

"What we hope to provide in Folsom-Cordova is options," he said.

The Sacramento City Unified School District similarly has raised graduation
requirements, but also started new small high schools specializing in
career-oriented education.

Godwin said educators will find the new work force forecast valuable in shaping
programs and guiding students.


Plenty of jobs to come

The forecast is unique, going beyond typical state or federal labor studies. It
looks at the future of 750 occupations and covers six counties: Sacramento,
Placer, El Dorado, Yolo, Yuba and Sutter. It includes not only the number of
expected job openings, but also pay levels and required skills and education for
those jobs. Some of the growth is already happening ? the data cover the years
2005-2015.

According to the forecast, the Sacramento region will see more than 337,000 jobs
open up by 2015, including 163,000 new ones and 175,000 that will need filling
when workers retire or change jobs.

The findings are expected to help business and economic development leaders
target new employment sectors to strengthen the region's economy.

In particular, the study highlights the need to expand math, science and
technical education in middle and high school grades so the region can draw more
innovative and high-wealth industries, such as green technology, area leaders
said.

The data have been assembled into a massive and searchable online database:
www.careergps.com.

Leroy Tripette, education manager for Intel Corp., said the forecast can guide
both the college-bound and those entering the work force directly from high
school.

Given the high cost of college, it is important for students seeking degrees to
choose schools and majors carefully. In addition, he said, students often are not
aware of the good jobs available that do not require four years of college.

For example, in the field of technology, it takes anywhere from five to 20
technicians to support the work of a single engineer with a Ph.D., he said. Such
entry-level technical jobs typically require two-year degrees and start at
$50,000 a year, he said. "That's not something to sneeze at."

Chris Keslinger, an apprentice operator for Teichert Construction's Woodland
division, is among those with a satisfying career and no degree. Keslinger
attended a junior college in Mississippi before moving to Yuba City several years
ago to be near family and attend a four-year college. His chosen path was
chemistry.

But after taking a construction job to help pay the bills, he turned down a
different road.

"I fell in love with the work and the camaraderie," Keslinger said. He joined
Teichert's apprentice program about three years ago, earning $40,000 a year and
is learning how to excavate and to set grades according to elevation
specifications. He now makes about $50,000, he said, and is due for another raise
this month.

Keslinger also said he appreciates the time he spent in junior college: "As a
grade-setter, you do a lot of math on a daily basis. Trigonometry comes into play
a lot. I am glad I got that education."


George Sheridan