Massachusetts’ Forgotten Middle Skills Jobs
July 14, 2010
MICHELLE WILCZYNSKI
Middle-skill jobs will account for nearly 40% of job openings in the state through 2016.
Massachusetts has made significant investments in education and training for its workforce, especially in K-12 education, basic skills, and incumbent worker training. However, the state has under-invested in public higher education and vocational/technical training—two critical components of the state’s training infrastructure that must be better aligned to meet industry demand for middle-skill workers.
If Massachusetts is to realize its full economic potential, educational access must reflect the demands of a 21st-century economy and the realities of the 21st-century workforce.