2015 Central Mass HS Grads: Where Will They Be in 5 Years?
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
The Bureau lists home healthcare services, individual and family services, and outpatient, laboratory, and other ambulatory care services as the three industries that will have the most growth by 2022. The Bureau also lists Personal Care Aides and Registered Nurses as the occupations with the most job growth over that same period.
Based on the bureau’s statistics, 2015 high school graduates in Central Massachusetts will have ample opportunity to delve into these professional fields. As of December 2014, educational and health services has the second largest occupational growth in Worcester. Currently, health care services hold seven of the ten occupations with the highest share of employment in the city.
"I see the top upcoming careers as those in the medical and technology fields. In terms of healthcare, with more affordable and easier access to insurance coverage, the demand for these jobs will continue to increase. Additionally, there are many jobs in the field that do not necessarily require a bachelors degree or higher such as x-ray technicians, medical assistants, phlebotomists, etc. As college costs continue to rise, I think you will see a shift among high school graduates toward certification programs and associate degrees such as these," said Katie Ciukaj-Dandurand, a Guidance Counselor at Framingham High.
Michael Penney, a guidance counselor at Abby Kelley Foster Charter High School in Worcester lists Computer Science, Computeer Engineering and Healthcare Services as the three dominant options for high school graduates from Worcester when they enter the workforce.
“Many of the students are service oriented and give back to the community. I think they will work on the problems of tomorrow, today. They also have been exposed to technology that has advanced at a rapid rate which has drawbacks, but also many positives which will help to bring about new solutions,” said Penney.
"Central Mass. will benefit from this next generation of graduates in many ways. Their exposure to and knowledge of technology is impressive. I think this generation also recognizes the many opportunities before them and are great at thinking long term. As efforts in college and career planning have improved at the high school level, more students will make wise and calculated decisions about their futures and they will come out of college or training programs well prepared for the job market," said Ciukaj-Dandurand.
STEM Positions in Massachusetts
Photo: U.S. Dept of Education
"STEM graduates have relatively low unemployment, however these graduates are not necessarily employed in STEM occupations," said Liana Christin Landivar, a sociologist in the Census Bureau's Industry and Occupation Statistics Branch.
However, in 2012, nearly 350,000 college graduates in Massachusetts were employed in a STEM or STEM-related occupation.
In 2013, Massachusetts set forth with a plan called "A Foundation for the Future: Massachusetts’ Plan for Excellence in STEM Education." The plan was put together by an advisory council under former Governor Deval Patrick. The 2013 plan was an updated version ("STEM 2.0") from a previous report published in 2010.
In the report, Congressman Joe Kennedy, said "Moving forward, our challenge is not just to expand the STEM opportunities our state has successfully incubated, but to increase access to them wherever we can. While we have made important progress in closing persistent achievement gaps in science and mathematics, the reality is that ZIP code, ethnicity and gender still play too powerful a role in predicting a student’s interest or achievement in STEM."
"High school grads are smart and are learning to be wise with their investments, and traditional liberal arts degrees aren't always the most lucrative. I think more and more students will choose careers like this that will afford them the opportunity to make a good living and then return to college later on if they choose to advance their degree," said Ciukaj-Dandurand. "As far as technology, it has become such a central part of our day to day lives, that these careers are very secure and aren't going anywhere. This generation of students has grown up around computers and cell phones and there are many lucrative and appealing careers in this field."
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