Transcript
I think opportunity occupations are important, both for workers and for their regional economies.
So, for the workers themselves, it’s important to remember that roughly two thirds of American adults do not have a four year college degree. And so, for those who cannot or choose not to go to college, being aware of the jobs that are open to you if you do not have a college degree, I think, is important.
It’s also important for a regional economy to understand where their economic opportunities lie so that they can help workers prepare for those positions and they can help employers fill those positions.
For younger workers, for workers entering the labor force or for workers who are finding themselves in a position that they either need to or want to retrain, our research, I think, can provide them with options.
Part of the research was to identify 10 of the largest opportunity occupations in each of the 121 metropolitan areas and I think that the fact sheets that we developed for these communities can help workers identify which of the jobs that pay a decent wage and for which I don’t need to go to school for four years to be considered for these positions.