RVCC 2019 NECHE Self-Study

By educational attainment, the highest rates of population with less than a high school
diploma, or only high school diploma or GED or some college, are those in the 45 – 64 age
group.
As New Hampshire Employment Security notes: “It is important to acknowledge the
potential need for training or upskilling of this large cohort of the population, those age 45-
64 years with a ‘high school diploma’ or ‘some college, no degree’ as the highest level of
educational attainment. The majority will still be participating and the labor market will
need them. As most of these workers are currently employed, training should be
approached from the perspective of finding ways to provide these workers with additional
skills and educational enhancement (upskilling) in their field of expertise. Rather than
retraining these workers in new fields, efforts should be explored to find ways to build
upon the applied knowledge these workers might have and provide additional skills that
will be needed in the future labor market.”
Across all age groups, an associate’s degree – and a bachelor’s – correlate to lower
unemployment rates, and higher wages. As the chart on the next page demonstrates, New
Hampshire residents age 25 – 34 who have an associate’s degree have 91 percent less
unemployment than those with only a high school diploma – the difference is 90 percent
less in the age range of 35-44.
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