Bureau of Labor Statistics Proposed Modification to Education and TrainingOctober 2008 The Employment Projections (EP) program has developed a new system for reporting education and training requirements. This summary outlines the current education classification systems and then describes the proposed changes to these systems. BLS is seeking feedback on the clarity and usefulness of the proposed classification systems in comparison with the classifications currently used. Please send comments to educfeedback@bls.gov. Existing education and training classification systemsEP currently assigns one of eleven categories to each occupation. Only one category is assigned, allowing aggregation across occupations to determine, for example, the total employment in associate degree occupations. Categories are intended to reflect the most significant source of education or training, as determined by the research of EP economists.
This system allows only one level of education to be chosen for each occupation, even though most occupations have workers with a range of educational backgrounds. As a result, in 2002, EP began supplementing its education and training categories with educational attainment clusters. The clusters are used to present current and projected employment by education level. They are based on the actual education levels of workers in the occupations. For simplicity, only three educational attainment levels are specified:
For almost every occupation, some workers fall in each of the three categories. As a result, all of the projected employment is not allocated to one education level; instead, employment is allocated based on the current educational attainment pattern of the occupation. For example, if 40% of workers in an occupation have a bachelor’s degree or higher, then 40% of projected employment in that occupation is reported in the college cluster. For a detailed description of EP’s current education and training classification systems, go to http://www.bls.gov/emp/optd/optd001.pdf. (To see Table I-5, referenced in the previous web address, go to http://www.bls.gov/emp/optd/optdtabi_5.pdf.) Problems with the current systemThe current education and training category system requires EP economists to choose between three basic types of job preparation: education, on-the-job training, and work experience. However, many occupations require some combination of education, on-the-job training, and work experience. Under the current system, the level of education required for jobs classified in one of the three on-the-job training categories is unclear, as is the amount of on-the-job training needed for occupations where educational categories are selected. In addition, only postsecondary education is considered; a high school degree or less is absent from the system. For the educational attainment data, although three levels were implemented for clarity, some areas remain unclear. For example “High school” includes data on workers with less than a high school diploma, who have significantly different job prospects than those with a high school diploma. Similarly, “Some college” includes data on workers with some college, no degree, as well as those with an associate’s degree. Those with an associate’s degree may have stronger job qualifications than those with only some postsecondary courses. “College” includes those with graduate degrees and as well as those with bachelor’s degrees. Revised education and training classification systemsTo address these problems, BLS proposes modifications to both the categories and the attainment data. Instead of one category for each occupation, education, on-the-job training, and work experience will be split into three different categories and all three categories assigned to each occupation. This modified system will provide users with a more complete and understandable picture of occupational education and training requirements. In addition, to limit confusion between the two classification systems, the educational attainment data will match the education categories. Proposed education categories
The new education categories add an additional level of detail by including “less than high school,” which was excluded from the previous system. Furthermore, to be more consistent with educational attainment data from the American Community Survey, the category of ‘some college, no degree’ was added. The doctoral and professional degree categories were combined as the two terminal degrees were considered to be comparable education levels. Although educational attainment data will be used in determining the education level for each occupation, it will not be the sole factor, because the education category will represent the typical entry-level education required for each occupation. Defining the category as entry-level education requirements eliminates much of the confusion surrounding the precise definition of EP’s existing education and training categories. When using the proposed education categories to summarize current and projected employment by education level, all employment will be distributed among the education categories proportionally to current educational attainment patterns. This eliminates the confusing allocation methods used with the existing education attainment clusters. Proposed work experience categories
Work experience will simply be a binary category, with occupations either commonly requiring work experience for entry or not. Several occupations require a certain level of education and work experience in a related occupation. The modified system will be able to make those distinctions, where applicable. Proposed on-the-job training categories
The categories are defined in the same way as the on-the-job training levels in the existing classification: short-term includes everything up to one month, moderate-term is one month to one year, and long-term is everything over one year. Most occupations require a certain level of education along with some on-the-job training. The modified system will be able to give users more detailed information about training needs once workers enter an occupation. Examples of current and proposed education classification systemsTable 1. Current presentation of employment by education cluster
Table 2. Proposed presentation of employment by education category
This table may be interpreted as follows: In 2006 the employed workforce was distributed by educational attainment as shown. In 2016, the distribution will look like the data presented, based on BLS occupational employment projections and the assumption that educational attainment distribution in each occupation stays as it was in 2006. Table 3. Example Occupations and Existing Education and Training Categories
Table 4. Example Occupations and Proposed Education and Training Categories
Table 5. Example Occupations and Existing Educational Attainment Data
Table 6. Example Occupations and Proposed Educational Attainment Data
Last Modified Date: November 20, 2008 |
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