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New Report Finds a Gap in High-Paying Tech Jobs in Rural AmericaThe Center on Rural Innovation and Ascendium Education Group find untapped potential in rural American workforce, identify central themes about tech employment and training. HARTLAND, Vt., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Center on Rural Innovation (CORI), with financial support from the Ascendium Education Group, announced the publication of its report on the state of tech employment in rural America. The report concludes a nearly year-long research project involving a national survey of rural adults, a regional survey of rural employers, economic analysis of relevant labor market data collected by EMSI Burning Glass, and more than 50 interviews with tech employers, training providers, workers, and learners. It offers a variety of key findings and strategies that can be useful for local, state, and federal leaders, employers, rural training providers and higher ed institutions, workforce development professionals, funders, and tech workers alike. The research reveals that:
"Rural workers are poised to fill tech roles in the fast-growing digital economy," said Kirstin Yeado, a program officer at Ascendium. "CORI's research provides employers and rural postsecondary education and workforce development leaders with a resource that illustrates how and why they must work together to help more rural workers – especially those from low-income backgrounds – gain the skills needed to transition to employment in the digital workforce." The report is available here. CORI's prior research efforts include a series of case studies and reports, funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Research and National Technical Assistance (RNTA) program, that examine tech-based economic development efforts in rural communities around the country and how technology is affecting the future of work in rural America. In 2020, CORI partnered with the Sorenson Impact Center to profile 10 rural institutions of higher education doing creative work to promote technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship in their communities. About the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) Established in 2017, CORI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization at the heart of a dynamic social enterprise focused on closing the rural opportunity gap. CORI partners with rural leaders across the country to build digital economies that support scalable entrepreneurship and lead to more tech jobs in rural America. CORI is committed to advancing economic prosperity in rural America through a comprehensive range of expertise, programs, and partnerships that ensure all Americans, regardless of geography, are able to participate in our 21st-century digital economy. As part of that work, CORI has created the Rural Innovation Network, a nationwide community of change agents and local leaders working to advance the economic future of small-town America. For more information visit www.ruralinnovation.us. About Ascendium Education Group Ascendium Education Group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to helping people reach the education and career goals that matter to them. Ascendium invests in initiatives designed to increase the number of students from low-income backgrounds who complete postsecondary degrees, certificates and workforce training programs, with an emphasis on first-generation students, incarcerated adults, rural community members, students of color and veterans. Ascendium's work identifies, validates, and expands best practices to promote large-scale change at the institutional, system, and state levels, with the intention of elevating opportunity for all. For more information, visit https://www.ascendiumphilanthropy.org. Contact: Rebekah Collinsworth View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-report-finds-a-gap-in-high-paying-tech-jobs-in-rural-america-301543425.html SOURCE Center on Rural Innovation |