Online education may help California residents compete for new jobs

Online education may help California residents compete for new jobs

Taking online courses may be a good source of preparation for individuals who wish to take advantage of anticipated job openings in California.

The Workforce Alliance (TWA), Skills2Compete and the California EDGE campaign have released a new report that revealed more than 2.7 million middle-skill jobs are expected to become available over the next seven years.

The report defined middle-skill as the level of education required by particular positions, such as trade and technical jobs. Workers in such occupations need more training than a high school diploma, but do not necessarily have to a have a bachelors degree.

Agnes Balassa of TWA said these findings suggest that employers need to "evaluate labor and skill needs and train and prepare for the jobs that are expected to grow," as only 39 percent of workers in the state had the credentials to fill middle-skill jobs last year.

"The recession provides a time frame for businesses and the state to be opportunistic" and prepare for an influx of jobs, she added.

An online education may help workers gain marketable skills to prepare for jobs in the environment, energy, construction, manufacturing and transportation industries, which are expected to grow the most.