According to data from 2021, nearly 21% of Missourians over the age of 25 have had some college, but no degree. Ben Boggs, commissioner of the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, said they are accumulating debt with nothing to show for it.
He said that it’s crucial to get them to return to the classroom to reskill and upskill for a new and changing workforce.
“For us all to be focused on adult learners, to return to finish up, to reskill and upskill. And the other part of it is if we look at the demographics, people are going to have to work longer because there simply is not the next generation coming behind them,” Boggs said.
The workforce challenges are something that a house interim committee hopes to address, especially because of artificial intelligence’s growing popularity, according to Rep. Louis Riggs, R-Hannibal.
“We are in the midst of an exciting and donning time when technology is increasing capabilities geometrically, but we are walking along in analog mode regarding artificial intelligence,” Riggs said. “We don’t know what we don’t know yet. This committee will try to get at that. We need to know what it’s going to do for us as well as what will do to us. I always say you can surf the wave or be crushed by it.”
He heard from several state agencies, including the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, which recommends helping residents to overcome barriers that might get in the way of finishing their education.
Boggs wants job centers to be placed on community college campuses for students entering the workforce, especially in rural Missouri.
“That allows for those soft handoffs where people are coming in looking to get that immediate job,” Boggs said. “But we can also with our job center staff talk about some college, no degree. You’re close to finishing this to getting this credential. How can we help you? The soft handoff to the community college. How can we get you now back on here? You’re on the campus, let’s get you going.”
One possible solution is helping Missourians get signed up for free online college classes to help them get a better job, which are available through the state’s 23 job centers and by clicking here.
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