The Economic Case for College and Career
Readiness: Implications of National Trends
American Diploma Project ▪ September 2011
Dr. Brian K. Fitzgerald, CEO
Nationally, employers expect employees to use a broad
set of skills.
Learning Outcomes Desired by Employers
Learning Outcomes
Concepts and new developments in science and
technology
The ability to analyze and solve complex problems
The ability to apply knowledge and skills to real-world
settings
Critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills
The ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Percent Who Agree With Each Statement
100%
©BHEF
SOURCE: Hart Research Associates. (2010). Raising the Bar: Employers’ Views on College Learning in the Wake of
the Economic Downturn.
2
Current workforce demands indicate acute labor surpluses and
shortages.
National Workforce Surpluses and Shortages
SOURCE: Light, J. (2011). Labor Shortage Persists in Some Fields. Wall Street Journal
©BHEF
3
And future workforce projections indicate on-going shortages,
especially in high growth career fields.
14
12
Percent
10
8
6
4
2
0
Management
Education
Health Care
Computer
Specialties
Community
Services
Career Fields
Projected Annual Job Openings
Career Interested and Math Proficient
©BHEF
SOURCE: Derived from ACT’s The Condition of College and Career Readiness, 2010
4
These shortages, especially in STEM, are
the result of systemic leaks in the
production and career pipeline.
©BHEF
5
American students’ math proficiency and STEM career interest decline
throughout high school. By 12th grade, only 17% of students are math
proficient and interested in a STEM career.
©BHEF
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SOURCE: The Business-Higher Education Forum. (2011). The STEM interest and proficiency challenge: Creating the workforce of the future.
The threat to our nation’s competitiveness is even more apparent
when we analyze 12th graders math proficiency and interest in
STEM by race/ethnicity.
70%
60%
50%
Math Proficient/STEM Interested
40%
Math Proficient/Not STEM Interested
Not Math Proficient/STEM Interested
30%
Not Math Proficient/Not STEM Interested
20%
10%
0%
African American
Caucasian
Asian American Latino/Hispanic American Indian
7
SOURCE: The Business-Higher Education Forum. (2011). The STEM interest and proficiency challenge: Creating the workforce of the future.
Once those students enroll in college, undergraduate
STEM attrition by major is also substantial.
80
Attrition Rate (%)
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Biology
Computer
Science
Engineering
Physical
Sciences*
Math
STEM
Anticipated Major
*includes Chemistry, Physics, Earth and Planetary Sciences
SOURCE: Koff, R., Molter, L., & Renninger, K.A. (2009). Why Students Leave STEM Fields: Development of a8
Common Data Template and Survey Tool. A report to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
©BHEF
And only about half of STEM college graduates choose
to work in STEM careers upon graduation.
SOURCE: Carnevale, T. (2011). The STEM Workforce. Presentation to the PCAST Working Group on STEM Higher
Education, April 15, 2011.
©BHEF
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BHEF addresses this challenge by:
•
•
•
Developing, documenting and disseminating
replicable models of education improvement and
workforce alignment, especially in STEM
Collaborating with members to lead education and
workforce projects in their communities
Further developing BHEF’s unique tools and
resources to support education stakeholders leading
high-impact change around education and workforce
misalignment
©BHEF
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