Education Matters, Data Shows It

Jaap Donath
January 2018

Over the past year, I had the opportunity to speak high school students about what is happening in our local economy, which sectors are growing and what to expect in the job market. When I asked them in what kind of profession they wanted to be, I received a broad range of answers, from owning their own business to becoming a lawyer to working in TV production. This means that their skill levels and thus education will vary as well. During my presentations, I showed them that many of the jobs they mentioned as potential careers will need a post-secondary education. What really got their attention were two tables in particular I showed them.

The first one showed the top fastest growing occupations in Miami-Dade County (See table 1). I asked them what many of these jobs had in common. After some silence, some of the students noticed that almost all the jobs needed a college degree or some type of training, including certificates, after high school. It also showed them the earning potential.

Table 1: Fastest-Growing Occupations in Miami-Dade County

Source: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Bureau of Labor Market Statistics, 2018

When I showed them the table with the declining or slow-growth jobs (see table 2), they immediately zeroed in on the education needed and realized that having only a high school diploma is no longer a guarantee for a successful career. They also noticed the difference in the hourly wages compared to the first table. It was not lost on the students that there is a correlation between education level and income.

Table 2: Declining or Slow-Growth Occupations in Miami-Dade County

Source: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Bureau of Labor Market Statistics, 2018

The change in educational needs by employers is a national topic and one that is crucial for our community. From our conversations with business leaders in many of the industries in Miami-Dade County and from studies, it is clear that companies expect future employees to have post-secondary training, which includes certificates. The latter are especially important in technical fields, such as Technology. Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the fourth largest school system in the United States, has added many programs that allow students to earn certification in many fields, including academies and magnet programs (http://yourchoicemiami.org). According to Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, “Magnet programs are designed to give students their basic educational foundation, as well as the opportunity to concentrate on a particular subject and reach proficiency in it”.

As we continue to move towards a knowledge based economy in Miami-Dade County, our business and educational leaders have begun to address this issue. But this is not only a conversation between our business and education leaders, but one that should be had by parents and their children and counselors and teachers with their students.