The Middle Skill Opportunity
The demand for middle skill jobs is strong. These jobs require education beyond high school but not a four-year degree.
42,000 job openings projected each year for the next 5 years 1
Median hourly wage of middle-skill jobs, 35% higher than the region's living wage of $18.08
1 EMSI proprietary analysis of middle-skill opportunities in the DFW region. From the New Skills at Work report, Strengthening Dallas-Fort Worth, produced by JPMorgan Chase.
The Opportunity Gap
Too many DFW residents lack basic and technical skills required by middle-skill jobs. These challenges tend to disproportionately affect African American and Hispanic residents, who represent a large and growing pool of potential middle skill workers
Poverty rate for black residents in Dallas, compared to 10% for white residents 2
Percentage of non-white Hispanics without a high school degree, compared to 15% of white residents
2 U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, averages for 2011-2013. DFW MSA region. From the New Skills at Work report, Strengthening Dallas-Fort Worth, produced by JPMorgan Chase.
Pathways to Work is a cross-functional collaboration of funders, employers and training providers working to create innovative solutions for moving entry-level workers into good middle-skill jobs, and ensure employers have a pipeline of skilled and ready-to-work employees.
Pathways to Work has three main objectives:
Convene
Convene thought leaders to develop innovative training strategies that move entry-level workers onto middle-skill career paths.
Invest
Invest resources that help workers build basic and technical skills and wrap-around support so they can secure and retain middle-skill jobs.
Build
Build capacity of funders, employers, and community workforce programs that result in more workers being able to meet their employment and education goals.