Features of training specialists with secondary qualifications in the USA

The U.S. workforce has undergone significant changes in the past few decades. Increasingly sophisticated technology, changes in the structure of the economy and the growing global marketplace have resulted in employers putting a higher premium than ever on educated workers. Coupled with the fact that the United States has lost its historical global competitive advantage in postsecondary educational attainment, the growing focus among policymakers on how to ensure that the United States has the educated and skilled workforce it needs to compete in the global economy is no surprise, especially as the U.S. economy struggles to recover from the recent recession. Much has been said about the importance of increasing the labor supply for “middle skills jobs,” or those jobs that require more than a high school education but less than a bachelor's degree (e.g., associate degree, postsecondary certificate, apprenticeship, etc.). Middle skills jobs now comprise about half of all U.S. jobs, generally offer solid wages and pathways to advancement, and in many cases, are going unfilled even as overall unemployment remains high. In the past few years, floods of research reports and analyses have explored the growth, demographics, characteristics and importance of middle skills jobs in the United States. The article aims at understanding the research base and its connection to college — and career-ready reforms. If today's students are going to be able to access middle and high skills jobs, they need to graduate from high school with the core knowledge and skills that will prepare them for success in postsecondary education and training — and for success in the careers of their choice. With chronically high remediation and low completion rates at two-year and technical colleges, broadening access to postsecondary programs alone is not enough to ensure individuals' access to and success in middle skills jobs. Rather, increased access must be coupled with increased preparation.