SERC TALKS: “How Can States Develop a Trained Technical Workforce?”

This is the second SERC Talk of the Fall 2022 series on “Innovating for STEM Readiness”. These talks are curated and will be moderated by Dr. William Rouse, SERC Research Council Member, Senior Fellow in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.

Abstract

While the U.S. higher education establishment continues to maintain relatively stable enrollments in spite of a wide range of challenges, the nation’s production of adequately trained technical personnel for a growing number of key jobs in industry and government continues to be inadequate. To fill this gap, states have sought to collaborate with a wide range of industries to create training programs of various kinds and duration to prepare high school graduates for careers in technical occupations sorely needed by many industries. These programs vary in intensity and organization and their funding systems reflect the widely differing conditions of their state sponsors. This talk offers a careful review of a successful program, informed by activities in other states, and highlights the key elements required for success.

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