Help wanted; skills lacking: 36% of available jobs in Chattanooga require a four-year degree

At age 31, four months after being laid off from his last job, Darrius Cole is starting his career over by going back to school.

The former construction worker from Florence, Ala., is among two dozen students who started a two-year program last week at Chattanooga State Community College to become a nuclear plant operator.

"My last job was as a laborer at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, and I saw there that the people who had the best jobs -- and the ones that seem to always keep their jobs -- are those with the best education," Cole said. "Education seems to be key these days and, even though I don't know many people yet in Chattanooga, I feel like I'm going in the right direction now."

A new employment study by the Brookings Institution underscores Cole's career move. Seven of every 10 new jobs in Chattanooga require more than a high school education, but a majority of unemployed Chattanoogans have never been to college or received any high school certifications, Brookings reports.

Read More. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)