In the words of Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Over the last year and a half, our nation has experienced profound change. With social justice issues coming to light and a global pandemic affecting every facet of our lives, there’s no doubt our workforce is dramatically transforming to meet the “new normal.”
This presents the question, “How does this affect higher education systems, and what degrees need to be more accessible to wider populations?” At USMSM, we’re starting to see a spike in the demand for more human-centric and STEM-related (science, technology, engineering, and math) roles in high need areas across the country—which means access to education in these areas will become more critical than ever.
As our nation begins to reopen—students returning to school, employment opportunities increasing, travel up and running, businesses reopening—four different career paths are emerging in Southern Maryland that will need to be filled by current and future graduates.
Social Workers
2020 made it clear social workers are essential to enhance the mental and physical well-being of both kids and adults. Social workers help people from every walk of life and work in different communities, schools, and healthcare facilities across the nation.
Although social work can be viewed as an underrated and thankless career path, it’s a rewarding field, and the demand will continue to increase over the next few years. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of social workers is anticipated to grow 13% over the next five years. And each specialty within the field has its own growth rate, with mental health and substance abuse social workers being the highest at 17%.
Educators
The need for teachers and educators is at an all-time high. Statistically, teacher shortages are most common in urban and underserved communities—with 75% of districts reporting high vacancy rates. Due to the recent health crisis, though, the vast majority of communities across the US are reporting shortages.
Here is a list of the most in-demand teachers in 2021 and beyond:
- Special education
- Mathematics
- Paraprofessionals
- Secondary physical science
- Bilingual education
Engineers
In 2020, business owners and individuals quickly realized the importance of moving their interactions online, creating a high, immediate demand for engineers. In 2020 alone, engineering roles skyrocketed by 25%.
As we continue to move forward in a digital age, companies will require specialized people to build and run programs that allow conversations, transactions, and interactions to take place online. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, engineers will become even more in demand, with 140,000 jobs created by 2026. But due to a STEM skill shortage in particular US regions, there’s a huge need for students to have access to engineering classes so we can fill this gap.
Information Technology
More than 100,000 information technology (IT) jobs were lost during the peak of the pandemic, but luckily, two-thirds of those came back before the end of the year—which speaks volumes to the importance of the industry as a whole.
We’re more than halfway through 2021, and 39,500 IT jobs have been added across the country. More importantly, CyberWire reported: “The cybersecurity industry is projected to triple year-over-year through 2022, yet the workforce shortage still stands at millions worldwide.” What does this mean? Higher ed systems located in areas where IT talent is in high demand will have to make education more achievable for people.
It’s clear our workforce is rapidly changing, and in many cases, it’s for the better. As the need for education in these particular industries increases, higher ed systems will have to ensure their programs are accessible to individuals in high-need areas.
To continue higher education in Southern Maryland, we’ll be opening the brand new Southern Maryland Autonomous Research and Technology (SMART) Building later this year. Students from across the region will have enhanced access to in-demand educational programs, allowing these students to live, work, and study close to home.