ACT Publishes New Data Profiling Each State's Future Workforce

Reports Reveal Career Interest and Skill Preparation of 2009 ACT-Tested High School Graduates Nationally and for Each State

October 14, 2009

Iowa City, IA—ACT, a leader in educational and workplace skills assessment and research, has released a state-specific analysis for all 50 states that helps answer the question: Are your students prepared for college and careers?

The analysis compares data from two sources for each of the 50 states: long-term occupational projections and the recently released ACT report titled “Measuring College and Career Readiness: The Class of 2009.” In most cases, the state’s occupational projections are for the 2006-2016 decade based on job growth and job replacement. The ACT report reveals career interests and achievement results for the state’s 2009 ACT-tested high school graduates. The analysis shows, in bar chart form, relevant information including:

The five highest-growth career fields in each state requiring a two-year college degree or more
The percentage of 2009 ACT-tested graduates in the state expressing interest in those five career fields
The percentage of students meeting ACT’s recommended College Readiness Benchmarks in each of four subject areas (English, reading, mathematics, and science) who expressed interest in each of the high-growth career fields

A bar graph comparing each state’s projected job openings versus career interests of the state’s most recent ACT-tested high school graduating class reveals where gaps may exist in the future workforce. The data may have implications for economic development in the state as well. A second graph indicates the percentage of ACT-tested graduates interested in the five high-growth career fields who met the ACT-recommended College Readiness Benchmarks in English, reading, mathematics, and science.

Complete College and Career Readiness Reports for each state are available. Workforce data may be found on page 10 of each report.

National Results

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, based on 2006-2016 annual projected job openings, the nation’s five fastest-growing career fields requiring at least a two-year degree are depicted below. These five career fields account for 56 percent of the demand for jobs.

For all five career fields, the percentage of the nation’s 2009 ACT-tested high school graduates expressing an interest in those fields falls short of projected openings. The most significant gaps are for Computer/Information Specialties (9 percent) and Education (8 percent).

Percent of 2009 Graduates with Career Interests and Projected 2016 Job Openings by Career Field

Example occupations for the five highest-growth career fields are as follows:

Education: such as secondary school teachers, secondary school administrators, etc.
Computer/Information Specialties: such as computer programmers, database administrators, etc.
Community Services: such as social workers, school counselors, etc.
Management: such as hotel/restaurant managers, convention planners, etc.
Marketing/Sales: such as insurance agents, buyers, etc.

A second graph indicates the percentage of the nation’s 2009 ACT-tested graduates interested in these five high-growth career fields who met the ACT-recommended College Readiness Benchmarks in English, reading, mathematics, and science.

Percent of Graduates Meeting ACT College Readiness Benchmarks by Career Field

ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks specify the minimum scores needed on each ACT subject-area test to indicate a student is ready to succeed (50 percent chance of earning a “B” or higher or about a 75 percent chance of earning a “C” or higher) in a typical first-year, credit-bearing college course in that subject area. Years of empirical ACT data indicate that students who meet or surpass the College Readiness Benchmarks are more likely to go to college, stay in school, and graduate with a college degree.

For each of the 2016 projected five fastest-growing career fields, more than half of the nation’s 2009 ACT-tested high school graduates interested in careers in these fields did not meet the College Readiness Benchmarks in mathematics and science. In none of the five career fields were all four Benchmarks met by at least 50 percent of the 2009 graduates. Graduates were most likely to meet the Benchmark in English; least likely in science.

ACT research indicates that given these results, many students are not on the right path to take advantage of career opportunities in these high-growth fields requiring a two-year degree or more. However, given that the occupational projections extend through 2016, there is time for middle and high school students to examine, consider, and prepare for careers in the fields where openings are projected to be most prevalent.