Move from Underemployment to STEM Work!
Posted September 10, 2013 & filed under Job Search
In the post-recession job market, underemployment is a familiar story. You can look on any number of job boards or social networking sites and find recent college graduates struggling to move beyond the type of retail and service industries jobs they’ve worked at since their high school days. In fact, a recent article on CNBC verifies that the vast majority of jobs gained within the last year have fallen squarely into the part-time category
According to University of Maryland Professor Peter Morici, 936,000 of the total jobs added to the American market qualify as part-time positions while only 27,000 have obtained full-time positions. This level of rampant underemployment is a drain on the economy and a hindrance to economic growth. Is there a solution to the problem just below the surface? Some think that an answer lies in STEM work.
Does that mean another four-year degree?
Not necessarily. According to new analysis coming out of the Brookings Institution, 50 percent of all stem jobs can be obtained without assuming the additional debt of another four-year degree. STEM workers with accredited technical school certifications or an industry appropriate Associate’s degree on average can earn $53,000 annually – which is about 10 percent more than those with similar education working in non-STEM positions.
The Huffington Post acknowledges these “middle skill” jobs as one of “the most promising source(s) of fuel for quickly revving up an economic recovery.” Ultimately, the gateway to that refueled economic return is through community college or technical school programs.
Highly Technical Workers
Most of the small manufacturing outfits across the country that are looking to hire middle tier STEM professionals require very specialized, niche talents. Often, they can only be gained onsite or through specialist training programs. In the latter instance, community colleges are partnering up with manufacturing companies to create customized training programs that can feed employees into their vacant, highly technical positions.
One example can be found at institutions like Michigan’s Delta College, where educators tailor coursework to synchronize with the rigors and challenges of working at businesses like Dow Chemical or others. In optimized timelines, these companies have an eager, immersed workforce that barely needs to adjust when handling on-the-job challenges.
So, are STEM positions the panacea to solve our compounding problem with a swelling part-time workforce? Not 100 percent but it can help to bridge the disparity gap between underemployment and employment those types of positions that can replenish the ranks of the American middle class.
by James Walsh
