Education & Childcare

Sector Analysis

EDU Sector Overview

Key takeaways from the landscape analysis for the education and childcare sector in the Chicagoland area:

Good occupations requires bachelor’s degree acquisition, but many middle-skills roles with postsecondary credentials or associate’s degrees are in-demand and will continue to grow with potential government investment.
Annual job openings are high in this sector, due to retirements and employee movement. Number of people employed in this sector is massive so opportunities always exist.

Overview of Private Training Landscape

Based on Chicagoland CareerPathways, the private training landscape is limited:

In education and early childhood, all industry credentials are exclusively delivered in a college or university setting, including gateways credentials (except level 1).
Youth job placement programs have potential to place individuals in school-based setting with internship but may be difficult because of required background checks.

Recommended Improvement Strategies for EDU

Based on the landscape analysis, the EdSystems team proposes the following strategies to both prepare residents for living wage roles in the education and childcare sector and meet labor market demands:

Expand dual credit pathways in education aligned to College and Career Pathway Endorsements.
Build “currency” within CCC and at local teacher preparation programs.
Articulate Bridge programs and gateway credentials into AAS and Guided Transfer trajectories, similar to PLA.
Increased 2+2 partnerships like ECC-NIU and CCC-ISU where student can complete the bachelor’s program without having to physically commute to a different university.

EDU Priority Occupation and Promising Credential Areas

MIDDLE-SKILL CREDENTIAL AREA	OCCUPATIONS	TYPICAL ENTRY EDUCATION	CHICAGOLAND WAGE $/HR	CHICAGOLAND PROJECTED GROWTH (10 YR.)	ANNUAL CHICAGOLAND JOB OPENINGS
Guided Transfer AA	Child, Family, and School Social Workers	Bachelor’s	$25.54	5.1%	582
	Secondary School Teacher	Bachelor’s	$39.00	1.7%	1,130
	Physical Education (Middle School Teacher)	Bachelor’s	$32.00	1.7%	811
	Music Education (Secondary School Teacher)	Bachelor’s	$39.00	1.7%	811
	Special Education	Bachelor’s	$32.00	1.8%	133
	Elementary Education	Bachelor’s	$32.00	1.8%	1,573
Child Development: Pre-school Education	Preschool Teacher	Associate	$15.58	8.3%	1,011
	Childcare Worker	High School Diploma	$12.40	1.4%	1,852
	Teacher Assistant	Some College	$14.00	3.2%	2,368
	Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare	Bachelor’s	$25.14	8%	113