VERMONT — What do 400 electricians, more than 2,000 nurses, and nearly 500 software developers have in common?
According to a newly updated brochure released this month by the J. Warren & Lois McClure Foundation and the Vermont Department of Labor, these are some of the most promising jobs expected in Vermont over the next 10 years. As this data makes clear, high-pay, high-demand jobs do exist in the Green Mountain State. However, they largely require training and/or education beyond high school.
The latest Department of Labor data is used to highlight 54 of over 100 of these promising jobs along with their median wages, number of projected job openings, and minimum education requirements. Each is expected to pay at least $20/hour and have at least 100 openings over the next decade. The accompanying online resource, www.mcclurevt.org/pathways, lists the Vermont training and education programs that will put students and jobseekers on the right path. For a limited time, the McClure Foundation is offering grants to organizations and others that are working to connect Vermonters with these training and education pathways.
The jobs list, called Pathways to Promising Careers, reinforces national research that promising job opportunities grow with postsecondary education and training. Only two of the 54 jobs identified by Pathways can be filled with a high school degree and no additional training or education. The majority require at least a two-year associate’s degree. Yet statistics show only 60 percent of Vermont’s high school graduates enroll in college within 16 months of graduation.
“We envision a Vermont in which no promising job goes unfilled for lack of a qualified applicant,” explains McClure Foundation Philanthropic Advisor Carolyn Weir. “That’s why we’re thrilled to know that information about these jobs is helping students choose career pathways and helping adults build their credentials or switch career tracks.”
Around 55,000 brochures featuring the high-pay, high-demand jobs are being distributed to high schools, colleges, state agencies, counseling organizations, and nonprofits across the state. They are expected to reach students and jobseekers just as state partners announce a new goal that 70 percent of Vermont’s working-age adults possess a postsecondary degree or credential of value by 2025.
“This is a pivotal time to align Vermont’s workforce skills with employer needs. There are tremendous employment opportunities right here in Vermont for people of all interests and backgrounds. The goal of our work is to promote the skills in demand and dispel some of the myths about our local economy,” says Mathew Barewicz, Economic and Labor Market Information Chief at the Vermont Department of Labor.
The McClure Foundation and the Vermont Department of Labor hope the data will also help colleges, legislators, employers, and career counseling organizations inform programming and strategy.
The McClure Foundation, a supporting organization of the Vermont Community Foundation, has grant funding available for nonprofits, schools, workforce development groups and others working to build equitable access to career and college education for low-income students and adults in Vermont. Learn more about the application guidelines and funding priorities at www.mcclurevt.org.
For more information or to request copies of the brochure, visit www.mcclurevt.org/pathways or contact Carolyn Weir at [email protected], 802-388-3355 ext. 239, or through Twitter @McClureVTFdn.