Skip to page content

Technical Professions

Report
An Analysis of Education and Training Programs in Advanced Manufacturing Using Robotics
As industrial robots become more advanced, there likely will be a shortage of human workers with the technical and nontechnical skills to work with, program, and repair these robots. RAND researchers assess the state of training for these workers.
Jul 6, 2020
Report
Education, Employment, and Wages in the Appalachia Region: Final Report (2020)
The authors of this report examine indicators of the health of education and labor markets in the Appalachia Partnership Initiative region, with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and on the extraction industry.
Apr 9, 2020
Commentary
How to Actually Recruit Talent for the AI Challenge
In the global race to dominate AI technologies, talent is everything. The Pentagon should consider redesigning its personnel policies to accommodate a much greater degree of speed and permeability in its cyber and AI workforce, regardless of what pay and benefits it offers.
Feb 5, 2020
Commentary
How Community Colleges Can Establish Better Partnerships with Employers
Career and technical education programs give students a chance to engage in learning relevant to their chosen fields and apply immediately for jobs. A strategic vision of collaboration between industry and community colleges can benefit all parties.
Jun 6, 2019
Commentary
Book Review: 'The Woman Who Smashed Codes' by Jason Fagone
'The Woman Who Smashed Codes' by Jason Fagone is the story of Elizebeth Friedman, the mother of modern cryptoanalysis and cryptography. She broke coded messages of organized crime, broke the Nazi Enigma cryptography machine, and deciphered, mapped, and monitored Nazi activities in South America, though it is her husband William who often gets credit.
Feb 19, 2019
Commentary
Ending the 'Brogrammer' Culture: How to Close the Gender Gap
Despite recent progress, women are significantly outnumbered in technology, comprising only 30 percent of the workforce worldwide. It's up to society, governments, and technology companies to close the gap. Improving internet access, education, and career opportunities for women could help.
May 17, 2018
Report
Air Force Non-Rated Technical Training: Opportunities for Improving Pipeline Processes
This report identifies opportunities for optimizing processes and policies in the U.S. Air Force nonrated technical training pipeline and recommends process and policy changes that could improve efficiency at all levels.
Dec 18, 2017
Report
The Appalachia Partnership Initiative's Investments in Education, Workforce Development, and the Community: Technical Appendixes
These technical appendixes provide more details on the methodology, data, and findings in the report, The Appalachia Partnership Initiative's Investments in Education, Workforce Development, and the Community: Analysis of the First Stage, 2014-2016.
Nov 10, 2017
Report
Building a Sustainable STEM Workforce in Appalachia
The tristate region of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia needs more workers with STEM skills to fill jobs in the energy and advanced manufacturing sectors. The Appalachia Partnership Initiative has made investments aimed at addressing this issue. What kind of progress has the initiative made?
Oct 11, 2017
Commentary
Cybersecurity Badge: One Big Step for Girl Scouts, Potentially Giant Leap for Women
The Girl Scouts will start offering 18 cybersecurity badges next year. In addition to exposing girls to cyber concepts and challenges, this could encourage them to pursue cybersecurity or other STEM careers in which women are underrepresented.
Aug 3, 2017
Blog
How the Drinking Bird Foiled a Spruce Goose Engineer
The famous drinking bird toy gave RAND's Dick Murrow an idea that might help Egyptian farmers. But Murrow, who previously led Howard Hughes's Spruce Goose design team, couldn't secure funding to get the concept off the ground.
Jun 29, 2017
Tool
Regional Maps of the Appalachia Partnership Initiative Region
The interactive tool highlights the geographic reach of Appalachia Partnership Initiative programs that address STEM K-12 education and workforce development needs in the Greater Pittsburgh area's advanced manufacturing and energy sectors.
May 31, 2017
Commentary
Reservists and the National Guard Offer Untapped Resources for Cybersecurity
More than 100,000 personnel in the Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve have some degree of cyber competence, including thousands with deep or mid-level expertise. They could help defend the cyber terrain on which America's national security, prosperity, and democracy depend.
Apr 18, 2017
Report
Wages, Employment, and STEM Education in Appalachia
An ongoing assessment of employment and wages in energy and advanced manufacturing industries in the Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia region captures trends about which counties might have greater demand for educating or employing local talent in STEM careers.
Mar 22, 2017
Commentary
On 'Hidden Figures' and Being the Only Woman in the Room
RAND's Susan Marquis discusses the three brilliant African-American women depicted in the film Hidden Figures, the critical role of women in RAND's history, and more.
Mar 12, 2017
Commentary
To Increase Diversity in Tech, We Need to Rethink What 'Tech' Is
The tech sector is a driving force for high-skill, high-wage job creation in the United States, but too few women and minorities reap the gains. Rethinking what defines today's tech jobs, along with greater investment in public-private partnerships, could go a long way toward bridging the diversity gap.
Nov 17, 2016
Commentary
The Brains Behind Autonomous Vehicles May Need a License to Drive
Autonomous vehicles require exquisite software. To make this software secure, industry and government should consider educational standards and licensure requirements for the engineers who create it.
Sep 27, 2016
Commentary
Getting Technical: Preparing High School Students for the Workforce America Needs
Fields such as computers, engineering, and health care are expected to grow. Employers and policymakers have a vested interest in ensuring that America's high schoolers are ready to meet future employment needs. Access to high-quality career and technical education programs is key.
Aug 25, 2016
Commentary
Back to Work: Middle-Skill Jobs in the STEM Economy
The STEM economy will grow by 17 percent through 2018, with expected job vacancies totaling 2.4 million. Middle-skill STEM jobs that require associate's degrees or occupational certifications—such as computer support specialists, web developers, and engineering technicians—are in the highest demand.
Aug 24, 2016
Commentary
Infrastructure Design Must Change with Climate
Until recently, infrastructure engineers could use data on past weather to predict future climate. But this is no longer an option. More and more, engineers must consider the effects of climate change. Failure to do so would threaten public safety.
Aug 12, 2016

Previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Next

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Nicholas A. O'Donoughue

Senior Engineer

Nicholas O'Donoughue is a senior engineer at RAND. He is a radar signal processing expert with experience in algorithm development and systems analysis of airborne and spaceborne ISR systems, particularly concerning electronic warfare. He has led studies across RAND's three defense-related…
Rafiq Dossani

Director, RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy

Rafiq Dossani is director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy, a senior economist at the RAND Corporation, and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. He works on education, finance, regional development, security, trade, and technology issues. Recent projects…

Explore Our People »