More Information on Skills2Compete

Largest Portion of Job Openings for Maryland by 2016 “Middle-Skill”

• 434,000 openings in “middle-skill” job market — those that require more than a high school diploma, but less than a four-year degree - are projected by 2016.
• In Maryland, 48 percent of all jobs are classified as middle-skill, but only 37 percent of Maryland’s  workers likely have the education and training required to fill these positions.

Middle-Skill Jobs are a Vital Part of Our Workforce, but Skills Gap Looms

• Middle-skill jobs currently make up the largest segment of jobs in our economy, and will continue to do so for years to come.
• Many of these jobs pay well and their workers are the backbone of our communities: police officers, fire-fighters, nurses, electricians, and truck drivers. These are local, hands-on jobs, meaning they are unlikely to be outsourced to other countries.
• While these jobs will continue to thrive in Maryland, there is a deepening skills gap among our current workforce. As a result we are likely to see grave shortages in critical occupations, significantly limiting our potential for full economic recovery.

Maryland’s Economic Recovery Tied to Preparing Workers Now for Future Jobs

• As the state moves from recession into recovery, employers will likely once again face the challenge of finding qualities middle-skill workers – slowing the pace of economic growth.
• With rising unemployment in the state, the recession is precisely the right time to develop a strong middle-skill workforce. Economic downtime in Maryland should be used to invest in training.
• Maryland must ensure that its workforce has the necessary education and training to meet the labor demands of the future.

Skills2Compete Maryland – Closing the Skills Gap for Maryland

• 63 percent of Marylanders ‘s who will be in the workforce in 2020 were already working adults — long past the traditional high school-to-college pipeline — in 2005.
• If we are to realize our state’s full economic potential, educational access must reflect the demands of a 21st-century economy and the realities of the 21st-century workforce.
• Every Marylander must have the opportunity to earn the equivalent of at least two years of education or training past high school that leads to a vocational credential, industry certification, or one’s first two years of college - available at whatever point and pace makes sense for individual workers and industries. We must further ensure that every Marylander has access to the basic skills needed to pursue such education. A four-year degree is not the only ticket to a stable economic future in Maryland. We need to make training our current workers and future workers for middle-skill jobs a key part of our education strategy.