Although the labor market is flush with out-of-work job seekers competing for few employment opportunities, businesses are still reporting difficulty finding qualified staff. This skills
mismatch has persisted despite rising enrollment in postsecondary education and training programs. The media is awash with stories of unemployed workers returning to school for retraining only to remain jobless upon graduation because their career choice or newly acquired skills do not meet the needs of employers. if left unchecked, these mismatches could likely worsen in the coming years as the u.s. economy emerges
from the great recession radically transformed from a generation ago—requiring workers who have a different and more advanced set of skills to fill growing occupations in service, technology, and knowledge-based fields.