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Who Participates in the Skilled Technical Workforce after College and What Are Their Educational Pathways?

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Title: Who Participates in the Skilled Technical Workforce after College and What Are Their Educational Pathways?
Language: English
Authors: Chen, Xianglei
Source: Journal of Research in Technical Careers. May 2021 5(1):23-46.
Availability: UNLV Department of Teaching and Learning. 4505 South Maryland Parkway PO Box 3005, Las Vegas, NV 89154. e-mail: jrtc@unlv.edu; Web site: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jrtc/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 24
Publication Date: 2021
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Skilled Occupations, Technical Occupations, Education Work Relationship, Gender Differences, Racial Differences, Postsecondary Education, Longitudinal Studies, Undergraduate Students, Enrollment, STEM Education, Vocational Education, Educational Attainment, Time to Degree
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study
ISSN: 2578-2118
Abstract: The skilled technical workforce (STW) comprises workers in occupations that require significant science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) skills but not a bachelor's degree for entry. The United States had over 17 million STW workers in 2017, and is expected to be short about 3.4 million workers who are qualified for the available STW positions by 2022. Despite the important contribution of the STW to the U.S. economy, the policy discourse on the STEM workforce has largely focused on workers with bachelor's or graduate degrees, overlooking those without a 4-year degree. Consequently, knowledge about the STW is limited. This paper draws on a recently available national data source to provide a close look at STW workers through the lens of U.S. undergraduates who joined the STW after college. Multivariate results indicate that students who held STW jobs after college fared better than those who held nontechnical jobs on a range of employment outcomes, including salary, access to workforce benefits, alignment between college majors and intended careers, and job satisfaction. Multivariate analyses also confirmed that graduating from a less-than-4-year institution, earning a subbaccalaureate credential, and majoring in STEM, healthcare, and such technical fields as manufacturing, construction, repair, and transportation are common paths to STW careers. Despite the benefits of STW employment, however, relatively few students pursued STW jobs after college. Significantly fewer female than male students and fewer Black than White students pursued STW jobs, even after controlling for such factors as major field, type of last institution, STEM credits, and educational attainment. However, post-college STW participation did not differ between Hispanic and White students or vary by students' family income or their parents' education attainment.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2021
Accession Number: EJ1301288
Database: ERIC
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  Data: UNLV Department of Teaching and Learning. 4505 South Maryland Parkway PO Box 3005, Las Vegas, NV 89154. e-mail: jrtc@unlv.edu; Web site: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jrtc/
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  Data: The skilled technical workforce (STW) comprises workers in occupations that require significant science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) skills but not a bachelor's degree for entry. The United States had over 17 million STW workers in 2017, and is expected to be short about 3.4 million workers who are qualified for the available STW positions by 2022. Despite the important contribution of the STW to the U.S. economy, the policy discourse on the STEM workforce has largely focused on workers with bachelor's or graduate degrees, overlooking those without a 4-year degree. Consequently, knowledge about the STW is limited. This paper draws on a recently available national data source to provide a close look at STW workers through the lens of U.S. undergraduates who joined the STW after college. Multivariate results indicate that students who held STW jobs after college fared better than those who held nontechnical jobs on a range of employment outcomes, including salary, access to workforce benefits, alignment between college majors and intended careers, and job satisfaction. Multivariate analyses also confirmed that graduating from a less-than-4-year institution, earning a subbaccalaureate credential, and majoring in STEM, healthcare, and such technical fields as manufacturing, construction, repair, and transportation are common paths to STW careers. Despite the benefits of STW employment, however, relatively few students pursued STW jobs after college. Significantly fewer female than male students and fewer Black than White students pursued STW jobs, even after controlling for such factors as major field, type of last institution, STEM credits, and educational attainment. However, post-college STW participation did not differ between Hispanic and White students or vary by students' family income or their parents' education attainment.
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      – Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 24
        StartPage: 23
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Skilled Occupations
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Technical Occupations
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Education Work Relationship
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Gender Differences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Racial Differences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Postsecondary Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Longitudinal Studies
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Undergraduate Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Enrollment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: STEM Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Vocational Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational Attainment
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      – SubjectFull: Time to Degree
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      – SubjectFull: Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Who Participates in the Skilled Technical Workforce after College and What Are Their Educational Pathways?
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