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Buttressing the Middle: A Case for Reskilling and Upskilling America's Middle-Skill Workers in the 21st Century. Policy Report

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Title: Buttressing the Middle: A Case for Reskilling and Upskilling America's Middle-Skill Workers in the 21st Century. Policy Report
Language: English
Authors: Kirsch, Irwin, Sands, Anita M., Robbins, Steven B., Goodman, Madeline J., Tannenbaum, Richard J., Educational Testing Service (ETS), Center for Research on Human Capital and Education
Source: ETS Center for Research on Human Capital and Education. 2021.
Availability: ETS Center for Research on Human Capital and Education. Available from: Educational Testing Service. Rosedale Road Mailstop 13E, Princeton, NJ 08541. Tel: 609-921-9000; Fax: 609-734-5410; Web site: https://www.ets.org/research/report/opportunity/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 46
Publication Date: 2021
Document Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Adult Education
Descriptors: Labor Force Development, Job Skills, Adults, Literacy, Numeracy, Futures (of Society), Skilled Workers, Emerging Occupations, Adult Education, Educational Assessment, Computer Literacy
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)
Abstract: This report argues that the education and skills individuals possess have become increasingly important to their overall quality of life. As technology and automation continue to alter the workplace and the nature of work, the ability of individuals to acquire and augment their skills will remain a key challenge. Changes in the nature of work over this period have led to what economists refer to as "employment polarization." The share of employment in well-paid, middle-skill occupations such as manufacturing has declined while the share in the upper and lower ends of the occupational skill distribution has increased. In addition, the relative earnings around the middle of the wage distribution have declined precipitously, leaving these workers with relatively small wage gains. The important question raised here--and one that has become even more urgent due to the COVID-19 pandemic--is what to do about this phenomenon. This paper begins with a discussion of data and reports that identify future job skills and places them in the context of current skill distributions in the United States. Using data from a recent international assessment of adult populations, the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), the authors show that large segments of the nation's adult population fail to demonstrate levels of literacy and numeracy that are associated with important social and labor market outcomes. Further analyses of these data reveal that adequate levels of literacy and numeracy skills are also associated with strong performance on the PIAAC problem-solving tasks. The final section of this paper advances a theory of action to address this skills challenge that involves the development of a learning and assessment system. Based on evidence centered design principles, this system can be used in a variety of workplace and educational contexts to significantly improve the literacy, numeracy, and digital skills of tens of millions of adults who are being left behind.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2021
Accession Number: ED614370
Database: ERIC
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  Data: This report argues that the education and skills individuals possess have become increasingly important to their overall quality of life. As technology and automation continue to alter the workplace and the nature of work, the ability of individuals to acquire and augment their skills will remain a key challenge. Changes in the nature of work over this period have led to what economists refer to as "employment polarization." The share of employment in well-paid, middle-skill occupations such as manufacturing has declined while the share in the upper and lower ends of the occupational skill distribution has increased. In addition, the relative earnings around the middle of the wage distribution have declined precipitously, leaving these workers with relatively small wage gains. The important question raised here--and one that has become even more urgent due to the COVID-19 pandemic--is what to do about this phenomenon. This paper begins with a discussion of data and reports that identify future job skills and places them in the context of current skill distributions in the United States. Using data from a recent international assessment of adult populations, the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), the authors show that large segments of the nation's adult population fail to demonstrate levels of literacy and numeracy that are associated with important social and labor market outcomes. Further analyses of these data reveal that adequate levels of literacy and numeracy skills are also associated with strong performance on the PIAAC problem-solving tasks. The final section of this paper advances a theory of action to address this skills challenge that involves the development of a learning and assessment system. Based on evidence centered design principles, this system can be used in a variety of workplace and educational contexts to significantly improve the literacy, numeracy, and digital skills of tens of millions of adults who are being left behind.
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      – SubjectFull: Labor Force Development
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      – SubjectFull: Job Skills
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      – SubjectFull: Adults
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      – SubjectFull: Numeracy
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      – SubjectFull: Futures (of Society)
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      – SubjectFull: Skilled Workers
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      – SubjectFull: Emerging Occupations
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