TeamNEO recently completed a research study commissioned by the Cuyahoga County Workforce Funders Group regarding career opportunities in greater Cleveland for workers without bachelor’s degrees in entry level IT careers. The goal of the research was to answer the question: are there sufficient entry level IT roles in greater Cleveland such that funders (and others) should support scaled initiatives which prepare people who do not currently have Bachelor’s degrees for these roles?
As context, the IT sector has long been one in which those without a Bachelor’s degree but with employer-relevant sector training, and a natural curiosity and inclination to solve IT language and programming problems, have been able to achieve significant upwards economic mobility. But is this an opportunity in greater Cleveland, particularly given changes in the IT industry in the last year and going forward? The group wondered.
You can find the research here but here are my five top takeaways:
- Opportunities for entry-level IT roles in greater Cleveland are small, and even more limited for those without a Bachelor’s degree. Total demand to fill entry level roles in Cuyahoga County for people without a Bachelor’s degree and with 2 years or less of work experience was 366 jobs, of a total of over 22,000 jobs. Compare this to demand for those with a Bachelor’s degree, 485 jobs, or those with more than 6 years of experience, 1588.
- There are two entry-level occupations – user support specialists, and network support specialists – for which the demand is filled by those with less than a Bachelor’s degree. These roles, of which there are approx. 5,000 of them in Cuyahoga County, typically pay $38 – 45K annually, but can lead to roles which pay $85K or more. The report also discusses a third role, which is also open to those without Bachelor’s, but for which many people with Bachelor’s degree seek and are hired for the roles.
- Demand for these roles has dropped by more than 50% since 2022. Due to AI augmented computer activities, hiring for these roles – particularly at the entry level – have slowed significantly, without a clear path forward for the roles.
- Despite this, there is some demand in industry pockets for these roles , coming from manufacturing, finance and insurance, public entities, and even healthcare. These are sectors of size in greater Cleveland and represent many of our largest employers.
- To secure these roles, individuals must have not only IT credentials and work-based learning experiences, but also demonstration of lifelong commitment to IT learning. With IT jobs evolving very quickly right now, employers are looking for any potential employee to actively demonstrate ongoing activities (s)he takes to learn new skills and certifications, stay abreast of the industry, and solve problems in new ways. One employer mentioned only consider individuals who not only had the official relevant qualifications for the job but also at least five additional credentials. Any educational program preparing people for IT roles needs to consider how to help people address this expectation.
There are other important insights, and the data is also more nuanced than my summaries here, so it’s worth it to review the full report. And if you are interested to hear about the report directly from Sondra Palivoda from TeamNEO, she will be presenting it in mid-October via a webinar to funders and others interested. Please reach out to me directly to learn more and be connected to the webinar.