Looking
Ahead to the Jobs Report
By MICHAEL
POWELL. The New York Times, March 31, 2011. Maybe, just maybe, this is the
month the job number pops. The March job report will be released Friday
morning, and quite a few economists, to the extent that they can be drawn into
such discussions, are betting on a number just short of 200,000. It’s not hard
to understand that bet. The weekly unemployment claims have declined steadily,
from the mid-400,000s to the neighborhood of 385,000. In almost any other context,
the latter would be a grim number indeed. But in this slowest and most sluggish
of recoveries, it is a sign of somewhat fewer layoffs. Learn more…
Graduated
Success: Sustainable Economic Opportunity Through One- and Two-Year
Credentials
The
Center on Education and the Workforce. Eight years after graduating from high
school, 43 percent of certificate holders earn a median annual salary that is
higher than that earned by someone holding an associates degree. Twenty-seven
percent earn more than someone hold- ing a bachelors degree. In a similar vein,
31 per- cent of associates degree holders earn more than someone holding a
bachelors degree. In particu- lar, one- and two-year credentials in engineering
and in health care can deliver higher salaries than bachelors degrees in other
fields. Those holding engineering certificates earn an average annual salary of
nearly $47,000, a figure higher than the average annual salary of associ- ates
degree holders in the areas of liberal arts, the social and natural sciences
and education. Health care certificate holders can earn a median sala- ry of
about $46,000. The salaries of engineering and health care certificate holders
are relatively close to what bachelors degree holders in the so- cial or
natural sciences might earn, and are actu- ally more than what someone holding
a bachelors degree in education earns. Learn more…
Conducting
Return on Investment Analyses for Secondary and Postsecondary CTE
National Research Center for Career
and Technical Education. This report describes a framework for estimating the
rate of return for workforce development programs, including secondary and
postsecondary CTE, in Washington state. Return on investment (ROI) is based on
estimates of the net impact of CTE on individuals' labor market experiences and
government income supports after participating in CTE/workforce development
programs. This report discusses the estimation approach and presents estimates
for postsecondary and secondary CTE from a recent study. Researchers found that
participants in CTE programs reap substantial returns--positive earnings-- with
almost nil or negative costs for secondary CTE. At the postsecondary level, any
associated costs (tuition, foregone earnings) are more than outweighed, even
over the short-term, by the economic payoffs of participating. Learn more…
