The Skills Needed by Employers

The Skills Needed by Employers

Heather Sanderson

Eastern Connecticut State University

Dr. David Stoloff

February 10, 2018

Employers from Connecticut, the United States, Europe, as well as other countries around the world are in search of a more skilled and educated workforce. The economy has been improving for the last few years and is expected to grow even more. Companies are worried they will not be able find workers with the skills needed to fill the many job openings. When comparing the United States and Europe, especially in the area of manufacturing, Europe seems to do a better job of training workers to succeed once employed. Additionally, both the U.S. and Europe are looking to improve the interpersonal skills of their workers.

Here in the United States, manufacturing firms in the state of Connecticut employ over 159,000 workers (Connecticut Business & Industry Association, 2017). According to the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) “almost every manufacturer surveyed expects to grow their workforce in the next three years (CBIA, 2017). Additionally, the CBIA survey showed that only 42% of employers were satisfied with their employees who had only a high school education compared to 76% who were satisfied with employees who had a technical high school or state university education and 78% who were satisfied with a major university education, such as UConn (CBIA, 2017). Considering the high employer satisfaction for those workers who attend a technical high school, which is comparable to that of those workers who attend a major university, perhaps here in the U.S. we should do a better job promoting and offering access to technical high schools and the specialized training they provide. With college in the United States costing over $100,000 when direct and indirect costs are factored in, technical high schools should be encouraged as an alternative to the traditional four year college experience that often puts our young adults into debt (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2014). If the traditional college experience is where a student is headed, the CBIA recommends that schools educate their students about careers in modern manufacturing and expand engineering programs at state and private schools, similar to the expansion that has happened at UConn (CBIA, 2017). While companies want highly skilled workers, the Connecticut Business & Industry Association survey reported that 71% of recent hires lacked technical skills (CBIA, 2017). As a teacher at a middle school in an affluent community, I have unfortunately witnessed students’ negative attitudes towards the technical high schools that visit our school to recruit students. The trend is definitely to get kids ready for four-year college programs.

Across the Atlantic in Europe, a survey given to EU members found 47% of graduate recruiters reporting that their greatest challenge was “a shortage of applicants with the right skills and capabilities…to do their jobs” (European Commission, 2010). However, while both the United States and the EU are struggling to find workers with the right skills, there is more job training available in the EU than in the United States. For example, 93% of Connecticut’s manufacturing companies that were surveyed reported they needed engineering-specific skills, but only 29% reported that engineering training was offered. Still in Connecticut, 93% of manufacturing companies also reported a need for technical writing and comprehension skills, but only 18% responded that training was available in that area (CBIA, 2017). In contrast, the survey given to EU nations reported that 83% of “their employees with higher education degrees had participated in training and development Programmes organised at their workplace” (European Commission, 2010). So while the U.S. and Europe both lack enough skilled workers, Europe seems to be ahead of the United States when it comes to recruiting and training workers with manufacturing and technical skills.

Other skills that both the United States and the European Union are looking for in an employee are interpersonal and teamwork skills. In the survey given to manufacturing companies in Connecticut, 44% reported employees lacked interpersonal and teamwork skills (CBIA, 2017). Similarly, companies surveyed in the European Union also chose teamwork skills and communication skills as two of the top three qualities they are looking for in an employee (European Commission, 2010). As a science teacher, I have my students working on labs in groups on most school days. Over the past three years, I have noticed students have a more difficult time communicating with one another, and many even inquire about the possibility of working solo. I always tell students they need to work together because they will need communication and teamwork skills throughout their lives. Even parents of children in the United States recognize the importance of interpersonal skill when surveyed by PDK International. 82% of parents responded that interpersonal skills were extremely/very important items in school quality while only 42% felt that way about standardized tests (PDK International Inc., 2017). Schools need to place more emphasis on communication and teamwork skills, and it should be part of every subject’s curriculum. My students are often presenting material to the class or working in teams because I realize the importance of these skills. Still, I have never had any of my supervisors encourage the teaching of such skills. At the countless faculty meetings and professional development sessions I have attended administrators seem to talk incessantly about how well the district has performed on standardized tests, about how to encourage students to take standardized tests seriously, and about how to administer the standardized tests. Clearly, schools are often not in tune with the needs of our employers and our workforce. While I realize companies work closely with many of the colleges in the state, perhaps they should also focus on middle and high school students. There should be more of a partnership between companies and public school educators to prepare our students to be successful in all types of jobs.

References

Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA). (2017). 2017 Survey of Connecticut Manufacturing Workforce Needs. Retrieved from https://www.cbia.com/resources/workforce-development/workforce-reports- surveys/2017-survey-connecticut-manufacturing-workforce-needs/

European Commission. (2010). Employers’ perception of graduate employability. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_304_en.pdf.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2014). Education at a Glance:OECD Indicators. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/edu/United%20States- EAG2014-Country-Note.pdf

PDK International, Inc. (2017). PDK Poll. Retrieved from http://pdkpoll.org/