NYSDOL Educator Internship Business Panel August 14, 2008 Wes Holloway, Director of Diversity, Price Chopper Marybeth Englebride, Recruiter, Seton Health/St. Marys Hospital Leesa Pagan, Public Affairs Manager, The Chamber of Schenectady County Facilitator Matt Grattan, Manager, Business Services, NYSDOL A Survey of HR Professionals Are They Really Ready To Work? Employers Perspectives of the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21 st Century U.S. Workforce Overview of Survey Conducted by: The Conference Board Partnership for 21 st Century Skills Corporate Voices for Working Families Society for Human Resource Management Administered in April and May HR Professionals were surveyed Purpose of Survey To gain a better understanding of the readiness of new entrants to the 21 st Century workforce. To define the skills gap of graduates from: High School Two-Year Colleges or Technical Schools Four-Year Colleges Report of the Findings New entrants to the workforce need two sets of skills: Basic Skills Reading, Writing and Math A Range of Applied or Soft Skills Most Important Skills and Qualities What do you believe are the most important skills or qualities that high school graduates need as identified by the HR professionals that were surveyed? And The Answer Is Professionalism/Work Ethic 80.3% Teamwork/Collaboration 74.7% Oral Communication 70.3% Ethics and Social Responsibility 63.4% Reading Comprehension 62.5% Professionalism/Work Ethic Defined Demonstrating personal accountability Effective work habits, such as: Punctuality Appropriate Appearance/Dress Courtesy Commitment Working productively with others Time and workload management Ethics/Social Responsibility Defined Demonstrate integrity and ethical behavior Act responsibly with the interests of the larger community in mind But Deficiencies Exist 42.4% rated overall preparation of high school graduates for entry-level jobs as deficient - the largest of all student groups Only 0.2% rated their overall preparation as excellent No high school graduates met the standards of excellence in the basic skills of reading comprehension, writing in English, and math What Do The Ratings Mean? Deficient lacking or poorly prepared Adequate sufficient or satisfactory preparation Excellent highest level or superior preparation Deficiencies Reported Applied Skills Written Communication 80.9% Leadership 72.5% Professionalism/Work Ethic 70.3% Critical Thinking/Problem Solving 69.6% Deficiencies Reported Applied Skills Lifelong Learning/Self-Direction 58.2 Creativity/Innovation 54.2% Oral Communication 52.7% Ethics/Social Responsibility 44.1% Deficiencies Reported Basic Knowledge/Skills Writing in English 72% Foreign Languages 61.7% Mathematics 53.5% History/Geography 45.7% Government/Economics 45.6% Deficiencies Reported Basic Knowledge/Skills Science 44.5% Reading Comprehension 38.4% Humanities/Arts 30.7% English Language 21% Some Good News Workforce readiness of high school graduates was reported to be adequate in three areas: Information Technology Application 62.8% Diversity 61.8% Teamwork/Collaboration 60.9% At All Educational Levels Applied or soft skills trump basic knowledge/skills such as reading and math in importance Emerging Skills and Content Areas for the Future Making appropriate health/wellness choices Exercising personal financial responsibility Using entrepreneurial skills to enhance workplace productivity and career options Developing a sense of creativity/innovation Understanding economic issues and the role of business in the global economy Emerging Skills and Content Areas for the Future Demonstrating an understanding of global markets - and the economic and cultural effects of globalization Participating effectively in community and government as an informed citizen Developing proficiency in foreign languages Projected Hiring Over The Next 5 Years 27.7% project a reduction in high school graduate hires 49.5% project an increase in two-year college hires 58.8% project an increase in four-year college hires Note: There is a direct relationship to the level of deficiencies cited and projected hiring plans Demographic Issues Warrant Action A significant number of workers will be retiring over the next 10 years We face a serious challenge in preparing students to meet workplace demands of a global economy Demographic and economic changes have major implications for all of us Whos Responsible? Whos responsible for creating a workforce ready to compete? Whos Responsible? The business community overwhelmingly identified educators as the sector most responsible for creating a workforce ready to compete K-12 Education 75.6% Four-Year College 68.4% Two-Year College 45.2% Business Community 11.4% What Can We Do? Reframe responsibility educators, business, policy-makers, parents, and students Establish and nurture communication, collaboration, and partnerships between business and education (i.e. SHRM and WECA) Integrate applied skills with core academic subjects design specs for the future What Can We Do? Consider an Employment 101 course for work-bound students Develop/Expand methods of enhancing important workplace skills through Internships Summer Jobs Work-Study Programs Job Shadowing Mentoring On-The-Job Training What Can We Do? Emphasize school-based projects that require teamwork and leadership Create a sufficient knowledge/skill base of students for college acceptance, considering the increase in jobs that will require a college degree Involve parents in the dialogue a need for value consistency from home to school What Can We Do? The National Work Readiness CredentialFour Modules: Situational Judgment Oral Language Reading Using Math Local Work Readiness Credential For A Full Copy Of The Reportboard.org/pdf_free/BED-06- workforce.pdf