Navigating Science- and Technology-Focused Postsecondary Options in the Pittsburgh Region

Frank Ramspott/Getty Images

Program

Residents of the Pittsburgh area have many local options for pursuing postsecondary education and training to prepare for jobs in technology, engineering, advanced manufacturing, health, and other science- and technology-focused (STF) fields. These options include programs at colleges and universities, technical schools, coding boot camps, and workforce development centers. RAND researchers catalogued these options and developed a filterable online tool to help navigate them as part of a recent project assessing the region’s STF workforce ecosystem.

In this webinar, RAND researchers provide an overview of the project’s main findings and a real-time demonstration of the online web tool. The tool is designed to help young people exploring their career options, mid-career workers looking to upskill or reskill, and counselors and career navigators to learn about the array of opportunities in the Pittsburgh area. It pulls together information from previously siloed resources on provider locations, types of degrees or certificates offered, funding that may be available, and more. The tool allows users to filter to identify the providers offering programs most closely aligned with their needs and career goals. This webinar should be of interest to those who advise young adults and workers in navigating education and training options as well as to those operating postsecondary education and training programs who want to better understand the regional landscape. RAND researchers will walk through a few examples of how to use the tool, share resources for where to find additional information, and take questions from the audience!

Speakers

Brian Phillips

Brian Phillips is a senior quantitative analyst at the RAND Corporation and a Pittsburgh-area native. His research spans a wide range of policy areas including education, workforce development, labor markets, and demography. Recent projects have included analyses of dual enrollment pathway and career and technical education programs; studies on a diverse array of workforces in the public and private sectors; and work related to COVID-19. Prior to joining RAND, Phillips worked for several committees of the U.S. Congress, most recently serving as a senior policy advisor for the Joint Economic Committee. He earned his M.P.A. in economics and public policy from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

Melanie Zaber

Melanie Zaber (she/her) is an economist at the RAND Corporation and codirector of the Middle-Class Pathways Center. She has diverse research interests spanning workforce development, postsecondary education, gender equity, and access to civil justice. Her research has examined household transitions (coresidence, marriage, divorce, bankruptcy), analyzed workforce pipelines (principals, military linguists, building tradespeople), and explored postsecondary finance (market power, state grant aid, income share agreements). Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Institute for Civil Justice, and the Social Security Administration. Zaber received her Ph.D. in economics and public policy from Carnegie Mellon University.

Register for This Program

Please register online to attend. Contact Meredith Stafford-Chapman with questions about the event.

This event is open to the public. Please share with all who might be interested.