: Center for Education and Workforce

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that by 2020, there will be 1 million more computing jobs than workers to fill them. Demand for jobs in data science alone has grown 300 percent over the last four years. Tech skills like cloud computing and user interface design top the list of the most in-demand skills.  It’s a challenge that stems, in part, from the well-documented divide between higher education and the world of work. And the challenge is only accelerating as the shelf life of skills shrinks. 

At the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, we are engaging a wide variety of business, education, and quality assurance partners on how to build the missing piece of a new triad, one that can provide better quality signals from employers for both traditional higher education programs and non-traditional programs, such as apprenticeships. The goal? To ensure learners have the information they need on which programs deliver the most aligned career pathways, and employers know which programs they can turn to for reliable talent.

Despite the accessibility of digital technology, there remains a notable disconnect between the tech-savvy and those struggling to find a place in the digital nation. This isn’t a problem that can be overcome with any urgency, but it’s imperative that the educational system continues to pivot curriculums towards digital skills. Programming, AI development, machine learning, analytics, data-driven strategy: if business is to adapt at all levels, it will need a formidable baseline of understanding.

Many large organizations have this same challenge. And yet, there is a degree gap - “a discrepancy between the demand for a college degree in job postings and the employees who are currently in that job who have a college degree.” In an analysis of more than 26 million job postings, the degree gap was found to be significant, according to a study by Accenture, Harvard Business School, and Grads of Life. The study attributes degree inflation to two key factors: the fast-changing nature of many middle-skills jobs and employers’ misperceptions of the economics of investing in quality talent at the non-graduate level.