FL Offers Third-Highest Number of Good Jobs without Bachelor’s Degree

A new study shows there is a steady growth in jobs in Florida and across the country for people without a bachelor’s degree earning a median income of $55,000 per year.

The report, from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, found that over the past 25 years, nearly half of the states in the U.S. have added jobs that pay well without requiring a four-year degree.
Neil Ridley, state initiative director for the Georgetown Center, says Florida saw growth in both blue-collar fields such as manufacturing and the skilled-services industry including health care.

“Actually, in the skilled-services industries, Florida was one of the states with rapid growth in those good jobs,” Ridley points out. “In fact, the growth rate outpaced the national average by a fair amount. ”
On the other hand, the report found good jobs for workers with high school diplomas and those without are on the decline. However, the growth in good jobs has been most beneficial to workers with associate’s degrees.

Rod Duckworth, chancellor of the Florida Department of Education’s Division of Career and Adult Education, says over the last several years, the state has been preparing students to enter the skilled workforce.
“It’s an area that we’ve been trying to encourage more students to go into tech career and technical education courses, obtain industry certifications, and it really helps to reinforce that we’re on the right track,” he states.

Since last year, Duckworth says Florida has issued more than 100,000 industry certifications earned by students in middle and high school, ensuring they are ready to tackle a diverse workforce.
The report is a collaboration between the Georgetown Center and J.P. Morgan Chase and Company. It is online at GoodJobsData.org.

by Trimmel Gomes

Public News Service

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