Skills gaps bedevil our economy. But what are they and how did they form? This graphic illustrates how skill gaps emerged from an underperforming education system and a fragmented workforce development system.

1. Anatomy of the Skills Gap
Investments in pre-school pay
predictable dividends, but few
regions make the investment.
Between 40% and 50% of
graduates from high school are
unprepared for college or work.
They enter entry level jobs. If
they get stuck, they become the
working poor.
Too few young people going on to post-secondary training. This
shortage will only get worse as the Baby Boom retires. We have
shortages in a wide range of Middle Skill jobs requiring some
post-secondary training but less than 4 years of college.
People being
downsized often
do not have the
skills needed for
4 Years of
the new jobs
College
developing at
fast growing
2 Years of
firms.
High rates of primary
students read below
grade level.
Pre-K
K through 12
Certifications
Nationwide, 30% of 9th
graders drop out of school.
Drop-outs tend to end up in
a dependency cycle.
Career
College
We do not have a
coherent system of
employer accepted
credentials and
career pathways.
$10.00
per hour
The cost of moving people
from dependency to the
working poor often exceeds
the cost of a college
education.
Dependency
Cycle
Entry
level
Working
poor
Unemployed
The working poor have
no easy way to upgrade
their skills.
Summary: We are producing too many under-skilled
people. In any regional economy, 70% to 80% of the jobs
are career jobs, paying above $10 per hour.Yet, we are
producing over 50% of young people without the skills for
these jobs. Adults need more flexible options to upgrade
their skills continuously.
Source: Ed Morrison, Copyright 2012 distributed through a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution ShareAlike license.