IES Blog

Workforce needs more educated employees

Posted on September 26th, 2011 Read time: 1 minutes

There are many well-educated individuals who are either unemployed or must rely on temporary work to earn income in today's economy.

However, a recent report released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and University of Phoenix revealed that educated individuals – or those with many transferable skills – are highly sought after and may be better job candidates than those without such attributes.

Life in the 21st Century Workforce: A National Perspective, was conducted between April 6 and April 18, and surveyed 500 workforce members between 18 and 54 years of age. Researchers found that 53 percent of employers stated that their companies face significant challenges in recruiting non-managerial employees with the proper skills, training and education.

Furthermore, the majority of employers (80 percent) agreed that education – whether it be continuing education or advanced degrees – is critical to making sure workers have the proper skills to advance in their professions.

President Barack Obama recently provided nearly $500 million in grants to community colleges across the country for "targeted training and workforce development" to help the less economically fortunate work toward more fulfilling careers. 

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