Powerful partners: Businesses and community colleges- How investments in sector partnerships can help our economy thrive

In today’s economy, the demand for skilled workers is greater than ever before—with approximately 80 percent of jobs requiring candidates to have some form of education or training beyond the high school level. However, employers in in-demand industries are not exclusively seeking to hire individuals with four-year degrees. In fact, approximately 53 percent of all jobs in our labor market can be classified as “middle skill,” meaning they require training beyond high school but not a college degree. Even though middle-skill jobs dominate today’s economy, only 43 percent of workers have the training they need to qualify for these positions—leaving many employers without a reliable worker pipeline.