The Need for Adult Basic
Education
Workers in the 21st
century need more education than ever before.
Throughout the
country, low-skilled jobs are disappearing, and most of the newly created jobs
require an associates degree or higher.
The pool of jobs open to
unskilled workers is rapidly shrinking.
Pool of Unskilled Jobs
|
Year |
% of jobs open to unskilled labor |
|
1950 |
60% |
|
1996 |
30% |
|
2000 |
15% |
Many adults do not have the skills they need to survive in this economy.
Approximately one third of Massachusetts’ workers (1.1 of 3.2 million) do not have the skills required to perform in the state’s rapidly changing economy.
Over 16,000 adults in Franklin and Hampshire counties do not have either a GED or a high school diploma. More than a quarter of those (29%) have less than a 9th grade education.
Without a GED or diploma, low-skilled workers are caught in a cycle of poverty.
|
|
To live in Franklin or Hampshire county without a government subsidy,
a single parent with 2 children needs to have a full-time, year-round job
with an hourly wage of $16-$19. The
minimum wage is currently $6.75 per hour.
Franklin County has the lowest per capita income of the 14
Massachusetts counties. 30-40% of households in our region have incomes below the
self-sufficiency standard – the amount required to cover basic costs without
any public or private subsidy. These
are some of the highest rates in the state.
Both
Franklin and Hampshire Counties have significantly higher unemployment, high
school drop-out and teen birth rates than other parts of the state. |
The Literacy Project is the only organization serving Franklin and
Hampshire counties which provides free, comprehensive adult basic education
services.
Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor, 1999; MassINC report, New Skills for a New Economy, 2001; Census 2000; Franklin/Hampshire Adult Basic Education Community Planning Assessment of Needs and Assets.