The United States is facing a shortage of healthcare workers that is reaching crisis dimensions, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Many parts of our country do not have enough healthcare workers to provide adequate care to a growing, aging population as chronic diseases and behavioral health needs continue to rise.  As primary care is increasingly provided by workers without doctoral degrees, there is an opportunity for a new generation of allied health professionals to step into the gap.  With the right training and credentials, the healthcare workers of tomorrow can train for a career that lets them give back to their community while earning a family-supporting wage.

Despite recent high-profile layoffs, there are more technology jobs than applicants in nearly every industry across the United States.  The modern economy is becoming increasingly complex, and more jobs than ever before require technical competencies.  IT skills like software development, SQL, Python, Java, data analysis, and cloud computing dominated LinkedIn’s 2023 In-Demand Skills Report. Not only are these skills useful to recent graduates and career changers, but they are also important qualifications for workers looking to advance.  Stackable IT programs that offer badges on the way to a degree have allowed people to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow without the demands of a traditional pathway. 

Contrary to public perception, the manufacturing industry in the United States is expected to see 2.1 million unfilled jobs within the next decade.  Entry-level manufacturing jobs are often highly compensated and do not require postsecondary education, but employers across the country are struggling to fill them. Additionally, as technology and automation transform manufacturing, this has increased the need for manufacturing workers with specialized digital skillsets. Employers are taking proactive steps to provide training pipelines and engage a more diverse and inclusive workforce for roles in manufacturing.