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Students who participate in ATE projects and centers are serious about their careers. They often seek a clear picture of their future work life, including a cost-benefit analysis of how much they will have to give (in terms of money and time), and how much they will get (in terms of salary, job satisfaction, security, and other measures). ATE grantees need data to help support a variety of project and center initiatives, whether its for tracking progress, gaining institutional support, or helping students understand employment opportunities. This is where the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook, which is fully available on the BLS website, can help. Students, parents, ATE grantees, and their collaborators may search the handbook in a number of convenient ways. 

Option One

Users may scroll down the column of over two dozen Occupation Groups, including Computer and Information Technology, Healthcare, Media and Communication, and others. Selecting Transportation and Material Moving Occupations, for instance, calls up a list of related occupations, from Railroad Occupations (median income = $52,400) to Air Traffic Controllers (median income = $122,530). Selecting any of these will navigate readers to a site that describes the occupation in depth, including necessary education and work experience, number of jobs, job outlook, and a description of what workers in this occupation do. 

Option Two

Mentors and their students may browse occupations by category, including Highest Paying, Fastest Growing, and Most New Jobs. For instance, it may be helpful to know that 14 of the 15 highest paying jobs listed are in the field of health care, and that the number of insulation workers is projected to grow by 47 percent by 2022. 

Option Three

More targeted searches are possible with the “Select Occupations By” function. This feature allows users to choose a pay category, the level of education needed, and the projected growth rate. For instance, searching by a medium pay scale of $35,00 to $54,999, with a projected growth rate of 10 to 19 percent, and an entry-level education of an associate’s degree returns four possible occupations, Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Environmental Engineering Technicians, Drafters, and Paralegals and Legal Assistants.  

Occupational Outlook Handbook and ATE: A Case in Point 

Environmental Engineering Technicians (EET) earn a median salary of $45,350, or $21.80 per hour. The entry level education required to land a job as an EET is an associate’s degree. No related work experience is necessary, though the sorts of internships and apprenticeships that ATE programs and centers offer certainly provide an edge. The market is expected to add about 19,000 new jobs for EETs over the next decade; at 18 percent, that’s a faster-than-average growth rate. For ATE project and center staff, this data could prove useful in job forecasting, grant writing, reporting, and project planning.

So what do Environmental Engineering Technicians actually do? According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, they work with equipment to prevent or clean up pollution, maintain project records, and conduct pollution surveys. They also work to improve both indoor and outdoor air and water quality, review and audit technical documents, manage workers, and arrange for the disposal of lead, asbestos, and other hazardous materials.

Looking Ahead

Environmental Engineering Technician is just one possibility among the dozens of ATE-related careers listed on the BLS’s Occupational Outlook Handbook. Interested mentors and students who would like to utilize this valuable resource may find it here.