The exposure gap is blocking students' ability to envision future careers

Key points:

Students have aptitudes (or natural talents) for the country's most in-demand career fields – including healthcare, manufacturing, technology and finance – but are unwilling to pursue those occupations due to a profound lack of exposure, according to State of the American Workforce Report 2024 from the technology provider YourSciencewhich aims to solve the skills gap crisis for students and employers.

The report includes analysis of anonymized data from more than 540,000 YourScience Aptitude and professional discovery assessments completed by US middle and high school students in all 50 states in 2023.

In the assessments, students completed a series of science-backed brain games to discover their aptitudes, interests, and best-suited careers. The analysis found that:

• 39 percent of students have an aptitude for Health Sciences careers
  • A field where employment is expected to increase for positions such as health information technologists and medical registrars. grow 16 percent in the next decade
• 32 percent of students have aptitudes for careers in Computing and technology.
  • A field where employment is expected to increase for jobs such as computer and information research scientists. technology/computer-and-information-research-scientists.htm” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>grow 23 percent in the next decade
• 30 percent of students have aptitudes for careers in Agriculture and Natural Resources.
  • A field where employment is expected to increase for agricultural technician and food science jobs. grow 5 percent in the next decade.
• 29 percent of students have aptitudes for careers in Advanced Manufacturing.
  • A field where employment is expected to increase for jobs such as industrial engineers. grow 12 percent in the next decade

While students possess aptitudes for occupations in these key areas, the findings highlight a significant exposure gap that prevents these students from pursuing educational pathways into these career fields:

• 75 percent more students have aptitudes for careers in Computing and technology than interests
• 66 percent more students have an aptitude for careers in Advanced Manufacturing than interests
• 48 percent more students have aptitudes for careers in Agriculture and Natural Resources than interests
• 43 percent more students have an aptitude for careers in Health Sciences than interest

“Our report highlights a crucial issue in education today: the exposure gap. Students have untapped potential for in-demand occupations, but lack a clear understanding of their skills and how they align with their careers. Failure to address this deprives students of valuable insights into their abilities and their connection to the evolving world,” said Edson Barton, founder and CEO of YouScience. “In an era of rapid economic and technological change, it is essential that students understand their full range of skills. This understanding allows them to confidently prepare for the future and follow specific career paths. It also allows our society to make education and career opportunities more equitable for all students.”

Findings from the 2024 State of the American Workforce Report also demonstrate that students, regardless of gender and race, have the skills needed to fill the skills gap affecting many industries today and in the future. Key takeaways include:

• 87 percent more female students have aptitudes for careers in Computing and technology than interest
• 73 percent more black students have an aptitude for careers in Advanced Manufacturing than interests
• 69 percent more Hispanic students have an aptitude for careers in Computing and technology than interest
• 54 percent more male students have an aptitude for Health Sciences careers

This press release originally appeared online.

Laura Ascione is the editorial director of eSchool Media. She graduated from the prestigious Philip Merrill School of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

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