Work Plan: Education

according to a U. S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics article, entitled, Gauging the Labor Force Effects of Retiring Baby-Boomers (July, 2000, Vol. 123, No. 7), arlene Dohm writes, "as the oldest baby-boomers begin retiring in the next several years, the implications for the workforce could be enormous... Especially in occupations with functions less conducive to technology-driven productivity innovations - many of the jobs in health services and educational services, for example - service may suffer and needs could go unmet unless older workers can be retained or other sources of workers can be found. Even in occupations where technological innovations have produced relatively large productivity gains - many of the more complex machining jobs in manufacturing, for example - the learning curves often are steep, meaning that new workers need to enter these occupations soon, so they can become proficient in the necessary skills by the time the baby-boomers begin leaving the labor force.

For the complete article, Gauging the Labor Force Effects of Retiring Baby-Boomers, by arlene Dohm, or to find related articles on how the labor market will be effected by retiring baby-boomers, go to www.bls.gov.

What You Need to Know:

There are dozens of pre-school educational programs operating in our region.
The region's 42 public school districts each offer early childhood through high school programs.
Over twenty private and religiously affiliated schools serve the region.
One Minnesota state university affiliate, one Wisconsin state university affiliate, two community colleges, two technical institutes, one private college, and two tribal and community colleges offer a great variety of post-secondary educational employment opportunities.
In 2006, Northland median annual earnings for K12 teachers ranged from $37,540 to $56,490.
according to the american Federation of Teachers, in 2002 beginning teachers with a bachelor's degree earned an average of $30,719.
Salaries in post-secondary institutions vary according to rank and type of institution, geographic area, and field of study.In 2006, Northland median salary for post-secondary teahcers ranged from $38,690 to $64,900.
Northland colleges offer competitive wages.
Learn who the leading Higher Education institutions are in the region. (PDF)

Opportunity Knocks:

Projected type and numbers of openings in education over the next ten years.

Employment in the fields of educational administration, special education, secondary and post secondary instructors and teacher assistants is expected to grow faster than the national average through 2012.
Elementary positions are expected to grow at an average rate.
at present, there are several superintendent vacancies throughout the region.