science

New-collar worker

New-collar worker is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand New-collar worker rather than just read about it. In short: A new-collar worker is an individual who develops technical and soft skills needed to work in the contemporary technology industry through nontraditional education paths. The term was introduced by IBM CEO Ginni Rometty in late 2016 and refers to "middle-skill" occupations in technology, such as cybersecurity analysts, application developers and cloud computing specialists.

Key takeaways

New-collar worker belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect New-collar worker to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of New-collar worker from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A new-collar worker is an individual who develops technical and soft skills needed to work in the contemporary technology industry through nontraditional education paths. The term was introduced by IBM CEO Ginni Rometty in late 2016 and refers to "middle-skill" occupations in technology, such as cybersecurity analysts, application developers and cloud computing specialists.

Etymology The term "new-collar job" is a play on “blue-collar job”. It originated with IBM's CEO Ginni Rometty, relating to the company's efforts to increase the number of people qualified for technology jobs. In November 2016, Rometty wrote an open letter to then-President-elect Donald Trump, which introduced the idea of "new-collar jobs" and urged his support for the creation of these types of roles. Rometty coined the term in response to new employment designations as industries are moving into a new technology era, and jobs are created that require new skills in data science, cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

Occupations and education requirements According to Rometty, "relevant skills, sometimes obtained through vocational training", are the qualifying characteristics of new-collar work. Typical new-collar jobs include: cloud computing technicians, database managers, cybersecurity analysts, user interface designers, and other assorted IT roles. Technical skills and education are required for these roles but not necessarily a four-year college degree. Skills may be developed through nontraditional education such as community college courses and industry certification programs. Employers of new-collar workers value the ability to adapt and learn, equally to more formal education. As well, training for new-collar jobs often involves development of relevant soft skills. Due to a widespread skills gap, industry demand for new-collar workers has led to the development of education initiatives focused on technical skills. Examples of such initiatives include a partnership between Delta Air Lines and about 37 aviation maintenance schools in the US to develop a curriculum focused on skills needed in the aviation industry, and IBM's P-Tech program for high-school and associate degree.

Usage In the United States, the "New Collar Jobs Act" was released by Representatives Ted Lieu (California), Matt Cartwright (Pennsylvania) and Ann McLane Kuster (New Hampshire) in July 2017. The Act sought to provide scholarship funding and debt relief for individuals who study cybersecurity and take up cybersecurity roles, as well as establishing tax breaks for employers that offer cybersecurity training. In August 2017, Virginia Lt. Governor Ralph Northam announced a vocational training program titled "Get Skilled, Get A Job, and Give Back", focused on skills for new-collar jobs.

Core skills in new-collar roles New-collar roles typically require a combination of the following skills:

Technical skills: Including coding, network administration, data analysis, and cloud infrastructure management. Soft skills: Communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and adaptability. Digital literacy: Proficiency in software tools, online platforms, and understanding data privacy principles. These skills are often acquired through non-traditional education pathways such as coding bootcamps, community college programs, online certifications, and industry-recognized credentialing programs.

See also Designation of workers by collar color IBM SkillsBuild

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with New-collar worker

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what New-collar worker claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to New-collar worker before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about New-collar worker ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of New-collar worker

In research: New-collar worker appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses New-collar worker in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: New-collar worker is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2016 neologisms, Employment classifications, IBM, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for New-collar worker outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study New-collar worker in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what New-collar worker means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain New-collar worker out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is New-collar worker in simple terms?

Why does New-collar worker matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study New-collar worker?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on New-collar worker.