**Carnevale, A. P., Smith, N., & Strohl, J. (2010, June). State-level analysis. Help wanted: Projections of jobs and education requirements through 2018 (pp. 19–20). Washington, DC: Center on Education and the Workforce, Georgetown University. Available at https://georgetown.app.box.com/s/ursjbxaym2np1v8mgrv7
The authors project California will have 5.5 million job vacancies by 2018, most of which will require postsecondary credentials. These projections place California 50th in the proportion of jobs requiring a high school degree and 2nd in the proportion of jobs available to high school dropouts. The authors estimate that 61 percent of jobs in California will require some postsecondary credentials beyond high school in 2018. This analysis also illustrates where the jobs will be in California, by occupation and educational attainment level, by 2018.
Johnson, H. (2009, June). Educating California: Choices for the future. San Francisco, CA: Public Policy Institute of California. Available at http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_609HJR.pdf
According to the author’s projections, 41 percent of California jobs will require a bachelor’s degree in 2025, but only 35 percent of California workers will have college diplomas. This piece examines this “skills gap” that California faces and argues for the need to increase the college-going rate of high school graduates, community college transfer rates, and four-year college completion rates to close the gap and meet the demand for college-educated workers. The author also highlights training programs that provide alternatives to a bachelor’s degree, such as career technical education (CTE) certificates offered at community colleges, and argues that these are key to California’s future.
Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy. (2012, January). 2010 California economy. Palo Alto, CA: Author. Available at http://www.ccsce.com/PDF/Numbers-Jan-2012-CA-Economy-Rankings-2010.pdf
This piece compares California’s economy to the economies of other states and countries. In 2010, California’s gross domestic product (GDP)—the largest of all states in the U.S.—was just below Brazil’s, and ahead of India’s. Additionally, comparing the GDP of specific regions in California to the GDP of other countries, the Los Angeles basin region would fall between 15th-ranked Australia and 16th-ranked Netherlands. The Sacramento region would rank between 58th-ranked Qatar and 59th-ranked Morocco.
Levy, S. (2011, November). Education and training: Helping students, workers, and the economy (PowerPoint slides 1–2, 9–16, 18). Available at http://www.ccsce.com/ PDF/Community_College_League.pdf
This PowerPoint document, presented to the California Community College League, outlines the industries in California with the strongest potential for growth, including professional, scientific and technical services, and health care. While the manufacturing sector has experienced productivity gains over the past three decades, the author forecasts a continued decline in the number of manufacturing jobs in California and nationwide over the next decade. To prepare for California’s economic future, the author outlines implications for workforce policies, including collaboration with community colleges and business participation in Linked Learning programs.
**This document is considered a priority reading.