So it seems that every day a new report or policy or media item comes out that addresses workforce skills-related issues.  Yesterday saw a report from Texas about the wages of students coming out of 4 year v 2 year colleges in their first year after graduation, and the main headline in the Chronicle of Higher Education was: "Tech training may provide fatter paychecks than 4-year degrees, study finds."  http://chronicle.com/article/Tech-Training-May-Provide/138831/?cid=pm (behind a paywall)

Of course there are details to consider, such as students with cosmetics certificates don't end up with the wages of someone with a certificate in network design, and importantly, the long-term income of students with either type of degree is not tracked.  Such a longitudinal study of students that tracks not only wages but also which types of skills are providing to be most useful in their careers is sorely needed.  Mmmm, perhaps another idea for a study.

Anyways, I think the take-home from a study like this is that some sort of postsecondary and/or professional-vocational education is a good idea for kids if they want to have a decent income throughout their lives.  That much is indisputable. See reports by the College Board  While people can debate about whether the societal push towards "college" rather than the trades is a good idea or not, even if students are destined for a career in manufacturing or farming, some sort of post-high school training, whether it be a formal apprenticeship or a 4-year degree, is critical.  My growing conviction is that the rhetoric against "college" is counter-productive, and all students should be encouraged to acquire some sort of certificate, training, or degree after high school.