8/16/12 Is a skill-based labor market keeping college-educated population low?

  • By Nick Sabo
  • August 24, 2012
  • 342
                        
Technical, skill-based jobs continue to make up the bulk of employment opportunities in Holmes County, even as the percentage of county residents with college degrees increases. According to a report released by the Center for Rural Studies, approximately one in ten Holmes County residents have earned a college degree. The report found that 9.4 percent of county residents over the age of 25 have completed college, with 13.2 percent having completed some college. While well below the state average of 24.1 percent, the county has seen steady increases in college educated residents since 1970. The report states that Holmes County is part of a national trend that has seen increasing college-educated rates in rural counties. In 1970, the percentage of county residents with a college education was 2.9 percent. The national average was 10 percent. Ironically, the view from the ground is that job opportunities in the county may be what is keeping the college educated rate low. Holmes County’s booming cottage industries, such as the wood furniture market, offer competitive wages that only require technical skills, John Lorson, coordinator of the Wayne College/Holmes County Higher Education Center, said. “Holmes County is somewhat unique in that it has the second lowest rate in Ohio for unemployment,” Lorson said. “That is driven primarily by its cottage industry. You can walk out of high school and have a fairly good chance of getting started in a good job.” Lorson said that employers do seek certain skills from the higher education center for their employees that go beyond a high school, or high school equvilant, education. However, these are usually non-credit course offerings that focus on a single skill or related skill set. One of the more popular classes with local businesses that the higher education center offers is a non-credit accounting class. Dubbed “book keeper’s bootcamp” by higher education center staff, the class is usually attended by persons who are currently working and need the skills for their job. The class runs six weeks and starts with basic book keeping before moving up to instruction on an accounting software program. Public relations and English classes are also popular offerings. For much of Holmes County’s Amish population, education stops at eighth grade. This cultural choice means that many intelligent people who can easily take to courses at the college level have their GED or less, Lorson said. “They tend to be very, very bright students looking for a leg up, an opportunity to move up in the service industry,” Lorson said. Holmes County Economic Development Council director Tom Wilke said another driving factor behind the low unemployment/low college educated mix is ‘mom and pop’ businesses that serve the county’s tourism industry. According to Wilke, the number of self-employed individuals in the county has grown from 315 to 795 over the last 15 years. “I don’t want to diminish the importance of a college education, but chances are, an education isn’t what’s needed at that level of business,” Wilke said. “It’s more of having good business savvy and understanding your market.” Wilke said his experience with local businesses is a growing need for workers with technical skills. Welders are currently at a premium, Wilke said, due largely to increased regional demand from the natural gas industry. A strong work ethic is often prized by local employers more than educational background, Wilke said. Coming in on time, working hard and quality control have obvious importance to a small operation turning out a quality product. Lorson said, in his opinion, the county can use more college educated workers in such specialized fields as medicine, education, banking, upper management, and law. “What we are seeing with the county is young people will go to college, get their degree, and not return to the area,” Lorson said. “I think that is a trend everyone would like to see reversed.”


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