2008 GED Annual Statistical Report

The 2008 GED Annual Statistical Report (pdf) is full of interesting information about who is taking the GED test and how they are doing.  The information is by state. Click here.

Jobs of the Future, 2009 Report

The President’s Council of Economic Advisers released a report today on ”Jobs of the Future (pdf)” outlining how the U.S. labor market is expected to grow over the next few years. The report includes information on likely shifts and changes in the labor market, skills and training that will likely be most relevant in growing occupations, the importance of worker flexibility, and how the construction and manufacturing sectors are expected to rebound as a result of the Recovery Act. Here’s an excerpt from the report:

Well-trained and highly-skilled workers will be best positioned to secure high-wage jobs, thereby fueling American prosperity. Occupations requiring higher educational attainment are projected to grow much faster than those with lower education requirements, with the fastest growth among occupations that require an associate’s degree or a post-secondary vocational award. Key attributes of a well-trained workforce as well as elements of an effective education and training system are detailed below.

Employers value workers who can think critically and solve problems. Many highly-paid occupations require workers with good analytic and interactive skills.

Occupations that employ large shares of workers with post-secondary education and training are growing faster than others. While expected growth in construction and some manufacturing industries would create job opportunities at all skill levels, workers will be better positioned for good jobs if they acquire additional training and education. Occupations that have grown recently require more formal post-secondary schooling than occupations that have declined.

The U.S. post-high school education and training system provides valuable skills to those who complete programs in high-growth fields. However, it could be more effective at encouraging completion and responding to the needs of the labor market

Elements of a more effective system include: a solid early childhood, elementary, and secondary system that ensures students have strong basic skills; institutions and programs that have goals that are aligned and curricula that are cumulative; close collaboration between training providers and employers to ensure that curricula are aligned with workforce needs; flexible scheduling, appropriate curricula, and financial aid designed to meet the needs of students; incentives for institutions and programs to continually improve and innovate; and accountability for results.

2009 The State of Learning Disabilities

The National Center for Learning Disabilities has recently published the 2009 document of The State of Learning Disabilities, a new report on the status of children and adults with learning disabilities (LD) in America. The comprehensive report shatters common myths about LD and provides benchmark data to compare and contrast how people with LD are faring in school and work.

Key Facts for adults include:

• Students with LD go on to postsecondary education at a much lower rate than non-disabled peers, and of those who do, few seek supports in college and few earn undergraduate or advanced degrees.

• In 2005, 55% of adults with LD (ages 18-64) were employed compare to 76% of those without LD, 6% were unemployed vs. 3% and 39% were not in the labor force vs. 21%.

• The true prevalence of learning disabilities in the U.S. may be as high as 10-15% – in both children and adults – based on reasearch by leading experts.