Report: R.I. must meet demands for workers by supporting postsecondary education

A REPORT from the New England Board of Higher Education said social sciences; health care support; science, technology, engineering and math; and managerial and professional office jobs are expected to grow the most in the coming years. / COURTESY NEW ENGLAND BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION
A REPORT from the New England Board of Higher Education said social sciences; health care support; science, technology, engineering and math; and managerial and professional office jobs are expected to grow the most in the coming years. / COURTESY NEW ENGLAND BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island must meet demands for workers by supporting postsecondary education, as social sciences, health care support, and science, technology, engineering and math jobs are the fastest-growing jobs in the state, according to a report from the New England Board of Higher Education: Higher Education’s Impact on the New England Economy: Investing in People.
Those jobs are expected to see growth of 24 percent between 2010 and 2020. Managerial and professional office jobs are expected to see growth of 21 percent during that time frame, the report said.
The report said 100 percent of social science and STEM jobs require postsecondary education, compared with 67 percent of health care support and 91 percent of managerial and professional office positions.

By meeting the demand for those jobs, companies will be attracted to the region and cause others to grow. The report said Rhode Island is home to seven business incubators and accelerators affiliated with colleges and universities. It also said approximately 200 startups are in Rhode Island with an average valuation of $4.9 million, of which 26 companies have raised more than $1 million.

The report was filled with facts about the percentage of students who attend college in their home state, and unemployment rates for college graduates.
Sixty-seven percent of Rhode Island students began college in their home state in the fall of 2014, the third highest percentage among the New England states.
The report said nearly two-thirds of New Englanders who pursue post-secondary education start college in their home states, and more than eight in 10 New England residents start college in the six-state region.

Rhode Island was behind only Maine at 71 percent and Massachusetts at 70 percent for percentage of students who start college in their home state.
Rhode Island has 83,500 full- and part-time students at its colleges and universities. A total of 3,856 undergraduates are attracted from outside New England, and another 3,229 from across the globe, based on 2014 data.
A total of 12,278 bachelor’s degrees were awarded in 2014, an increase from 11,680 in 2011.

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It also said that in Rhode Island, those with some college tend to make more than those without any college experience, averaging 17 percent more than those with only a high school diploma. In addition, those with bachelor’s degree make 61 percent more than those with only a high school diploma.

It also said that those with a bachelor’s degree or higher tend to be unemployed less – in 2014, 4 percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher were unemployed compared with 15.8 percent with less than a high school degree.

The report noted that New England’s approximately 270 postsecondary institutions serve more than 1 million students, equal to 7 percent of the region’s population.

More than half of students are enrolled in a public university or community college. However, funding per student at public colleges and universities in all six states has yet to return to pre-recession levels, the report said.
“At a time when postsecondary certificates and degrees are in high demand by employers, support of higher education as producers of an educated, skilled workforce is essential,” the report said.

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