Skills Shortages, Underemployment and Youth
Abstract:
Worldwide, a paradox is hindering economic growth. Many nations have severe shortages of technicians concurrent with high rates of underemployed among four-year college graduates. The fundamental causes are labor market/social misconceptions by policy makers, youth and parents regarding the global high-skills/high-wage labor market. Eight recommendations are made to improve this dilemma. All speak to the importance of career guidance and technical vocational education (TVE) in creating economic growth and individual opportunity.
Author:
Kenneth Gray
Kenneth Gray is professor and professor in charge of the Workforce Education and Development program in the college of Education at Penn State. He is the principle author of the books Other Ways to Win: Creating Alternatives for High School Graduates and Getting Real: Helping Teens Find Their Future. Prior to joining the faculty at Penn State he was the superintendent of the technical high school system in Connecticut, USA. Gray has degrees in labor economics, counseling psychology, and technical education.