Educational Services Jobs

A Report Card on Educational Services Jobs

by AdvertisingEducationRecruitment Advertising

Educational Section Jobs

The nation was waiting in anticipation of great numbers when the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the latest jobs report on Friday, April 2. However, the announcement that total non-farm payroll employment rose by 916,000 in March exceeded even the most optimistic experts.  The public and private education sector was one of the big job creation winners for Educational Services Jobs in March as in-person learning begins to spread across the nation.

Here are the growth numbers in the March 2021 report.

 

Local government education        76,000

State government education        50,000

Private education                          64,000

 

Compare those numbers with the losses since February 2020 in the following:

Local government education        -594,000

State government education         -270,000

Private education                          -310,000

 

Let’s take a deeper look at the Educational Services jobs sector (NAICS 611) of the economy. This includes elementary and secondary schools, junior colleges, colleges/universities and business school and computer training, technical and trade school, and educational support services.

 

Month                                           Employees (In thousands)

March 2019                                      3722.1

March 2020                                      3696.3

March 2021                                      3469.0

 

Month                                            Unemployment Rate

March 2019                                      2.8%

March 2020                                      4.4%

March 2021                                      4.1%

 

With all of these promising numbers being reported, the Educational Services job market is undoubtedly beginning to heat up. The competition for top talent is certainly tightening. If you are recruiting in this sector, are you ready to face the competition? To start the conversation, e-mail Mike Mangan mmangan@scgadv.com or contact your Account Executive at (973) 992-7800.

 

 

Teacher Shortage

Nationwide Shortage of Substitute Teachers; Lots of Jobs To Fill

by EducationRecruitment AdvertisingUncategorized

Teacher ShortageWhether a school is instructing in-person or online, one thing remains the same — they need an increasing number of substitute teachers from an ever-decreasing talent pool. How prevalent is the shortage? Google serves over a million results on “substitute teacher shortage COVID.” These results come from Madison, Chicago, Kansas City, Utica, Las Vegas, Coeur d’Alene, Houston, and so many more. The reporting originates from large and small cities all over the nation.

Lots of jobs to fill

A good amount of jobs currently being posted come from Indeed.com. A simple search for substitute teachers in the United States reveals 7,271 openings nationwide.  By far the largest number is coming from Chicago with 503 openings. That is well ahead of the number two city – Denver – with 61.

The changing candidate pools

Even before the pandemic, a shortage of substitute teachers existed in many areas. However, that number is now increasing rapidly as potential candidates weigh the risk-reward of substituting where the income is relatively low and the potential exposure to COVID is higher. On the income side of the equation, The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows short-term substitute teachers earning $32,460 per year, which is $21,030 less than the U.S. annual average among all jobs. This low earning level limits the availability of retired teachers and part-timers.

The fear of COVID among teachers is real when you consider 18% of all public and private school teachers are in the high risk, 65 and older age group per The American Enterprise Institute. That potentially also means they could be taking home the virus to equally vulnerable family members. The bottom line? It is no surprise that the American Federation of Teachers, a national labor union, shows that 1 in 3 teachers say the pandemic has made them more likely to retire earlier than planned.

How schools battle the shortage

Here is a list of some of the things schools have been doing to have enough substitutes in their classes:

  • Hiring parents
  • Increasing class sizes
  • Adding babysitting to bus driver duties
  • Hiring permanent substitutes
  • Boasting earnings and more competitive wages
  • Sending personal invitations to retired teachers
  • Offering sign-on bonuses

Help is on the way

With the vaccine now here, help is on the way. Millions of doses have already been delivered, and both teachers and substitutes should be getting significant relief. Anything close to normal will be fully embraced by educators nationwide.

If you are looking for creative ways to fill open positions you can contact your Account Manager or email pcrescenzi@successcomgroup.com.

 

 

 

Higher education

“Normal” Continues To Elude Higher Education

by AdvertisingEducationMarketingUncategorized

Higher educationJust when it looked like more and more colleges were finding ways to provide a face-to-face learning experience during the continuing pandemic, West Chester University (right in my backyard) announced that virtual learning was being extended into the spring 2021 semester. That’s right…Spring 2021. As this was being announced, WCU’s local school district was moving into hybrid.

 

That was quite a wake-up call for me and, I would assume, for thousands of students who are in or in the process of entering the higher education system. Sounds like it’s time for a gap year while all this gets sorted out.

 

Trends and predictions on the effect this on-going pandemic is having on our colleges and universities have been released since we last broached the subject in our July 2020 blog. This includes a significant study from the National Student Clearinghouse whose mission is to provide data, services and insights to the K-20 and workforce continuum.

 

For Fall 2020 enrollment the impact of the pandemic differs – sometimes significantly – by degree and institution type. Here’s a small snapshot of what we have learned from NSC’s data as of September 24, 2020:

 

First-Time Beginning Students

  • This group showed an incredible 16.1% drop in enrollments which compares to a slim 0.4% drop last fall.
  • 69% of all undergraduate enrollment losses come from First Time Beginning Students

Undergraduates

  • Undergraduate enrollment is down 4% across all institution types in comparison to last year
  • Private for-profit colleges are up 3.0%
  • Public 2-year colleges taking a huge hit – down 9.4%
  • Only 5 states are showing an increase in enrollments – Vermont, New Hampshire, West Virginia, Nebraska, and Utah
  • 11.2% drop in international students

Graduate Students

  • Graduate school enrollments are up 2.7%.
  • Private 4-year colleges are up 9.3%
  • Public 4-year colleges are up in the same period by 4.0%
  • Enrollment is up in 38 states

All Students

  • Total enrollment is down 3.0% in comparison to the same period last year.
  • Only 6 states show an increase in all enrollments including Vermont, New Hampshire, West Virginia, Nebraska, Utah and Arizona

Not sure when things will return to normal – if ever. If you are an Admissions professional, SCG would like to continue the discussion with you.

 

 

Colleges and Universities Scramble To Minimize Financial Losses

by AdvertisingEducationMarketing

Colleges and Universities

College enrollments have been steady.
Then, came the virus.

 

Our nation’s colleges and universities are suffering deep financial wounds as the COVID-19 pandemic enters its sixth month. The devastating results show institutions scrambling to thwart large financial losses and even for some small colleges the possibility of closing.

How large are the losses facing higher education? An ABC News report showed unthinkable numbers. University of Michigan’s three campuses, for example, will see $400 million to $1 billion in losses, while California’s university system lost $558 million in March alone. A major portion of the losses to date stems from rebates on meal and housing that was unused due to campus closings.

 

So, going forward, it will be more important than ever for schools to focus on capturing a larger market share – getting a larger slice of a shrinking pie. Fortunately, despite a decline in the college-age population nationwide, college enrollments were at least remaining steady.

 

Statista, a leading provider of market and consumer data, showed public and private college enrollments have hovered around the 20 million mark since 2015. The year 2015 showed 19.99M while 2020 was forecast slightly lower at 19.75M.

 

However, that was before the COVID-19 Pandemic struck and drastically changed the college experience.  Sadly, The American Council on Education estimates a 15% drop in fall enrollments costing colleges and universities $23 billion in lost revenue.

 

Even more daunting, SimpsonScarborough, a higher education research and marketing company, is predicting a 20% loss in enrollment based on a survey of 2,000 college-bound high school seniors and current college students in March.

 

Finally, as students are preparing to go to college (or not), admissions professionals are doing a variety of things to keep their enrollments up.

Here are a few:

  •      Extending acceptance deadline
  •      Waiving deposits
  •      Early access to the waitlist
  •      Insurance against dropping enrollment

 

There’s so much more to this dynamic situation. As the difficulty in attracting a larger number of potential students climbs, it would be wise to have a partner with experience in the higher education market. If you are an Admissions professional, SCG would like to continue the discussion with you.

 

 

 

All Levels Of Education Sector Must Invest In Relationships, Reputation To Battle Coronavirus Disruption

by AdvertisingBrandingCommunity AwarenessEducationHuman ResourcesPublic Relations
The loss of life – as well as health and safety issues – remains the primary issue when talking about the coronavirus pandemic. That said, economic and societal disruption cannot be ignored.  The education sector, from pre-school to our higher education institutions, finds itself in the direct path of the storm and needing to prepare for the next waves.education battle coronavirus disruption

 

The action plans required to navigate the new-normal are extensive and detailed, and emphasis should rightly be placed on instruction and learning, technology, infrastructure, and financial considerations. None of those issues, however, will matter if schools can’t sustain meaningful relationships with their long list of publics. Parents and students are more tolerant of change and disturbances if they have trust.  Educators and staff are willing to go the extra mile if they have faith. Partners and suppliers are more open-minded if they believe a school is credible. Individuals and institutions are more giving when they have confidence.

 

Senior educational leaders will undoubtedly spend the next few months discussing important, tangible assets that ensure the delivery of education, but how much time will be spent on intangible assets like reputation, relationships, and brand?

 

Important Intangible assets

 

Intangible assets – like reputation, relationships, and brands — will first be defined by behavior and then by communication. Every organization must accept that it operates with the permission of those it serves, including students, parents, employees, regulators, partners, and a lengthy list of others. Moving forward, every action and behavior must be focused on earning and maintaining permission and trust to operate.  In the end, reputation is a simple formula: EXPECTATION + CREDIBILITY. Organizations must meet or exceed expectations and achieve credibility by doing what they say they will do in all facets of the organization, down to the very smallest detail.

 

When it comes to communication, every organization must fortify its antenna to become more effective at listening, and more attentive to relevant sights, sounds, and sentiments. They must accept and communicate vulnerability and values and give power to their conscience, ethics, and empathy, thus empowering others to act. They must speak clearly, consistently, and honestly across all platforms – paid, earned, shared, and owned. Communication must be systematic, process-driven, proactive, and reactive, and also reach to all ends of the organization, both internal and external, prioritizing those directly impacted first … but realizing that information spreads.

 

There will be bumps along the way, and some may ignite a frenzied response from the media. The industry should also anticipate government, legal, and consumer actions, along with dis-informational attacks. And all of this will negatively impact reputation and the bottom line.  Schools must soon identify and cultivate third-party advocates to speak on their behalf, quickly knock down misinformation, and employ attitude inoculation or pre-bunking techniques.

 

When it comes to maintaining and building intangible assets like relationships and reputation, there’s no magic solution. Instead, taking appropriate steps now will ensure an organization’s ongoing viability. Bottom line: educational leaders must prioritize investment in intangible assets and the professionals who manage them if they hope to survive and ultimately thrive in the post-coronavirus world.

 

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