ABC’s of Career Pathways

A Better Future For Wisconsin Healthy communities with successful businesses providing good jobs Improved supply of skilled workers for Wisconsin businesses Reliable, relevant & realistic ways for lower-skill adults to gain skills for better jobs

Pathway to the Middle Class “…Postsecondary education or training has become the threshold requirement for access to middle-class status and earnings in good times and in bad. It is no longer the preferred pathway to middle-class jobs—it is, increasingly, the only pathway.” -- Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018, Carnevale, Smith, Strohl, 2010.

Education Required for Wisconsin Jobs Wisconsin’s Forgotten Middle-Skills Jobs, National Skills Coalition, Calculated from WI Department of Workforce Development data.

Wisconsin’s Workforce of Tomorrow is in the Workforce Today From WI Department of Administration population projections, ,183,170, or 89% of 2015 group 2,795,320, or 78% of 2020 group 2,355,500, or 66% of 2025 group

Labor Force Stagnates; Skills Needed Wisconsin’s labor force has stopped growing  Baby-boomers retiring (big portion of labor force)  Young people entering labor force at lower rate (education) Unless productivity increases, economy could stagnate  Productivity commonly (not always) tied to earnings  With flat labor force, increased production of goods and services depends on productivity gains Impact of Aging Population on Wisconsin’s Workforce, Dept. Workforce Development Office of Economic Advisors, 2009

Value of Applied Associate Degree Wisconsin United States WagesSharesWagesShares Dropouts$ %$ % High School $ %$ % Some Coll., No Deg. $ %$ % Associate Degrees $ %$ % Applied$ %$ % Liberal Arts $ %$ % Four-year College $ %$ % Median Wages and Education Level, 2009 Center On Wisconsin Strategy, State of Working Wisconsin

The Tipping Point One year of college level credits plus a credential One year of college level credits plus a credential is needed to produce rewards: Earnings gains that stick Meet employer expectations for skilled workers Prepared for moving even higher in postsecondary education Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges

RISE Target Population 1.4 million 1.3 million 695 thousand yr old and either less than 2- or 4-yr degree or Limited English Proficiency Worked last year Less than median wage COWS (Center on Wisconsin Strategy), Sep. 2009

(Regional Industry Skills Education) Goal: Increase the number of adults who earn postsecondary credentials related to occupations in high demand. Strategy: Career Pathway and Bridge Programs

LtGrnRect TopMed GrnRect Bottom MedGrn Rect Topdarkgreen Degree or Diploma Career Pathway—The Basic Idea ? Low Skill Skilled MedGrnTrap LtGreenTrap Industry With Jobs High School or Less Education Credentials For employers: Larger pool of qualified workers Better pipeline to fill skilled jobs from within Higher retention, employee loyalty For workers: Predictable path to job advancement and higher wages More employer support; easier access to education More security Bridge

Career Pathways Model

Questions about Adult Career Pathways? Please contact: Linda Preysz, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (608) Willa Panzer, Wisconsin Technical College System (608) RISEpartnership.org