The focus on Vermont jobs is sure to carry over from the fall elections and will remain a major issue for our new Governor and legislature. More often than not, the campaigns highlighted our problems—too many of our jobs pay minimum wage, young people are leaving the state for more lucrative opportunities, and job training is inadequate. However, as a new resource from the McClure Foundation shows, this is only part of the story.
Pathways to Promising Careers is a revised list of the top high-pay, high-demand jobs projected for Vermont over the next 10 years—and the educational requirements needed to obtain them. Using the most recent data, the McClure Foundation partnered with the Vermont Department of Labor to identify jobs that are expected to have at least 100 openings over the next decade and pay more than $20 per hour.
For current and future jobseekers willing to invest in training and/or education after high school, it is clear: promising employment opportunities are already available in Vermont.
McClure Foundation advisor Carolyn Weir and Matt Barewicz, the Vermont Department of Labor’s Economic & Labor Market Information Chief, speak with host Barrie Silver on the topic.
For a limited time, the McClure Foundation is offering grants to organizations and education institutions that connect Vermonters with the training and education needed to fill these jobs. This new brochure and online resource (www.mcclurevt.org/pathways) will be an important tool for guiding students’ college and career choices as well as for adults looking to switch fields.
