Fundamental Skills in All Workplaces and A Bridge

Skills, Technology and Management Practices (STAMP)

A 2016 National Science Foundation study showcase a thorough breakdown of job skills required for employment in the US by surveying 2,304 workers from across the US in October 2004 and January 2006. The workers were segmented into five groups Upper and Lower White Collar/Blue Collar and Service and provided their normal day to day detail type of skills they use for their employers. The job skills were broken-down into Skills, Technology and Management Practices (STAMP) which received its influence from UK, German, and World Bank field studies on labor markets. In short STAMP survey measures a robust percentage of such Academic Skills as Math, Reading, and Writing and the use of Computer and Technology along with other variables that measure qualitatively the employees’ Management Capacity and role in Business Organizations.

“With these goals in mind, the survey of Skills, Technology, and Management Practices (STAMP) was developed to collect direct information on job skill requirements, technology use, employee involvement practices, and other job characteristics that have been subjects of broad interest for many years.

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STAMP items were developed from a wide literature search across various disciplines (sociology, industrial relations, labour economics, education, psychology, human resource management), my own experience working with existing surveys (Handel 2000, 2006), recent research on survey methodology, and a pilot version of the survey administered by graduate students in face-to-face interviews with over one hundred workers in diverse occupations in a medium-sized urban area.” (Handel, 2016)

The key findings determined from the study was that 68% of all employees surveyed reported using Fractions in their line of work while another 19% added Basic Algebra, 14% Geometry, and 11% Statistics. This indicates a strong connection between the first two-year High School Math requirements leading to Algebra understanding being fundamental in securing a career or any kind of employment after High School. Furthermore, any future aspirations in higher level workforce such as management will still require these fundamental math skills along with more Statistics as 22% of managers reported using this skill in their day-to-day operations.

“Only about 5% of all workers use calculus, which is the only level of math in the list that is clearly college level, at least in the American context.[…]Overall, it seems that rather basic levels of math, corresponding to two years of ordinary high school instruction, are sufficient for most jobs.” (Handel, 2016)