S2C-New York launches, releases report.

New Report Finds New York's Economic Recovery Tied to Preparing Workers for Middle-Skill Jobs

Skills2Compete-New York launched today with the release of New York's Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs. The study, written by National Skills Coalition in partnership with the New York City Department of Small Business Services and the New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals, projects close to one million "middle-skill" job openings for New York by 2018. The report, which was featured in an exclusive by the Wall Street Journal, found that although the recession has halted current employment growth, middle-skill jobs (including new jobs and replacement) will account for nearly 40 percent of all openings between 2008 and 2018. But to unleash the full economic benefits of these openings, New York will need to continue to invest in proper training and education for its workforce to make sure it has people ready for those jobs.

The state will face a challenging funding environment in its efforts to address this workforce challenge. The most recent Continuing Resolution considered by Congress proposes a 100 percent cut to job training funds. These cuts couldn't come at a worse time for many New Yorkers seeking job training, access to education and opportunities to return to work.

Backed by a broad coalition of business, labor and education leaders, the Skills2Compete-New York campaign is calling on state leaders to embrace a strong vision to guide an economic and education strategy that would allow all New Yorkers to improve their skills and secure New York's place in a 21st-century economy:

Every New York resident should have access to the equivalent of at least two years of education or training past high school—leading to a vocational credential, industry certification, or one's first two years of college—to be pursued at whatever point and pace makes sense for individual workers and industries. Every person must also have access to the basic skills needed to pursue such education.

Skills2Compete-New York joins twelve other states as part of NSC's national Skills2Compete initiative, a non-partisan campaign to ensure the nation's workforce has the skills needed to meet business demand, foster innovation, and grow shared prosperity. Skills2Compete encourages America to address U.S. competitiveness in a way that includes the vast majority of future workers—jobs in the middle of the skilled labor market that require some training beyond high school, but not a four-year degree.