What's at Stake?

Minnesotans have some challenges coming their way. Research shows that the number of high school and college graduates will soon decline. At the same time, the state’s economy will require nearly twice as many college graduates. If these challenges are not addressed, everyone will be affected. For example:

Implications for employers

• High school graduate projections suggest that if present trends continue, by 2015 Minnesota will not be producing enough college graduates to meet workforce demands. Populations of color will be a significant source of new workers. See Demographic trends: Workforce implications
• Employers may need to provide more opportunities for adult workers to gain the education and skills they lack. In 2001, 75 percent of employed adults ages 25-64 who participated in adult education received employer financial support. See Workforce composition: Employer financed education

Implications for workers

• The two largest major occupational groups in Minnesota — professional and related occupations and service occupations — will increase the fastest and add the most jobs in Minnesota from 2002 to 2012, as traditional blue collar jobs continue to shrink. See Workforce composition: Skilled labor vs. unskilled labor projections
• In 2000, the typical full-time year-round worker in Minnesota with a four-year college degree earned $46,900 — 73 percent more than the $27,100 earned by the typical full-time year-round worker with only a high school diploma. See Quality of life: Income

Implications for students and their families

• Even as costs rise, families are saving less money than in the past and may have fewer resources to pay for college. See Quality of life: Wealth and savings
• Students who do graduate from college are increasingly entering the workforce with large amounts of debt. The fastest growing form of student aid over the past year was private student loans. See Higher education affordability: Student aid

Implications for students and families of color

• Of  those Minnesota high school students who took the ACT in 2004-05, students of color were less likely to be prepared for college level work in composition, social science, algebra and biology. See Preparing for college: Students of color
• Minnesota’s minority students have the most to gain from staying in school and going to college. Minority workers with a bachelor’s degree earned more than twice the salary of minority workers with no high school diploma. See Quality of life for Minnesota: Income

Implications for communities

• Adults without a college education are less likely to vote or participate in civic activities, volunteer for community organizations or pay taxes. They are more likely to be unemployed, incarcerated or in poor health. See Quality of life for Minnesota: Social Programs
• As the Baby Boom generation ages, these individuals will need more services, most notably health care, but there will be fewer people to provide those services. See Workforce composition
• Minnesota’s population will continue to become more racially and ethnically diverse. See Demographic trends: Demographic changes in Minnesota and the U.S.

Implications for educators

• Colleges and universities will need to provide different programs and services to meet the needs of students from more diverse backgrounds. See College participation: Underserved populations
• College participation rates for Minnesota students from low-income families have fallen by 17.9 percent. Minnesota now ranks 11th in the nation in college participation for low income students, having fallen faster over the past decade than any other state. See Educational attainment trends
• Continuing financial pressures in Minnesota will limit appropriations to education. The result for higher education will be increased competition for what resources remain, intensified by the greater growth in demand for state services other than higher education. See Higher education affordability: Appropriations to higher education

Implications for Minnesota

• Faced with the costs of importing educated workers from outside Minnesota, employers may increasingly choose to export high quality jobs instead, sending opportunity and growth elsewhere. See Workforce composition: Critical skill production
• There is a wide disparity in the Minnesota graduation rates of white and minority students. In the class of 2002, about 88 percent of white students graduated from high school compared to 54 percent of African American students. See Preparing for college
• Lower levels of education attainment interact with slower labor force growth, an aging population and more dependence on government to squeeze the state’s resources and weaken our future. See Quality of life for Minnesota

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— National Center for Higher Education Management Systems