Arizona ranks fifth among states for future jobs a high school dropout can do.
Researchers from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce matched job projections through 2018 with education requirements for those jobs and found that 14 percent of Arizona jobs will require less than a high school education.
They'll work in food preparation and serving, building and grounds cleaning and maintenance, construction, mining and transportation.
"Those are jobs that seriously limit their ability to make a living wage," said John Pedicone, vice president of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council and a former school superintendent.
Turning around Arizona's dropout problem should be a top priority, he said.
Education policy should focus less on the state AIMS test - which doesn't predict a student's success in college or in the work force - and focus more on setting students on a college-bound path, or a career and technical education path that could lead either to college or to an occupation, Pedicone said.
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While the Georgetown experts say state policy should focus on helping dropouts move up, the state has eliminated adult education from its budget.
That's "a real tragedy" and bad policy, said Roy Flores, Pima Community College chancellor.
More than 1 million adults in Arizona lack a high school diploma, he said. The number of dropouts in Maricopa and Pima counties alone total more than the whole population of Pittsburgh, he pointed out.
"There's a huge need to get those folks educated," Flores said.
In the middle
Increasingly, securing a place in the middle class will mean having some postsecondary education, even if it's just a few classes, according to the report.
The largest share of Arizona jobs in 2018 will require some college, possibly a certificate, or an associate's degree.
Arizona ranks seventh among states for the share of 2018 jobs that will require an associate's degree.
Jobs for college grads
Arizona ranks 37th in the percentage of 2018 jobs that will require a bachelor's degree - at 18 percent of jobs.
The three state universities are making progress toward a goal to increase the number of degree holders in Arizona and increase demand for higher-paying jobs. Their plan is to produce 28,000 a year by 2020, up from about 20,000 annually now.
Contact reporter Becky Pallack at bpallack@azstarnet.com or 807-8012.
