Job seekers should craft their technical skills
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR -- Unemployment rates are up and job-seekers are still searching. Finding a job opening is difficult in a tough economy. But there is promise for those crafting their technical skills. Students at Pulaski Technical College are hoping the right combination of chemicals make their science project successful. They also hope the right combination of training and opportunity that insures they're working toward a job that is in high demand when they graduate.
It's a high-tech world out there," says Tim Jones. "We've got to have people who are qualified for jobs that require advanced degrees." Jones is with Pulaski Tech and says STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) jobs are what's hot now. "We have people who are going directly into jobs in computer networking and these are jobs that are not going away," he says. "Simply because everybody uses a computer and every business has a computer network."
Instructor of Physics and Chemistry, Bruce Schulte is excited about the opportunities for students today. "Physicists as well as the other engineering and mathematics fields are finding employment despite the recession," says Schulte. Schulte says most students at technical colleges are not the typical 18 to 20 year old. Often students here have delayed college or are returning for a better future. "We have former chefs that are now taking science courses," he says. "We have former waitresses that are moving into the nursing fields." According to the U-S Bureau of Labor Statistics the fastest-growing occupations in the next decade will be in health care and computer sciences.
