This week, CompTIA’s EVP for Skills Certification Terry Erdle and I attended the National Journal policy briefing, “The Underemployed Generation: Matching Skills to Jobs.” The discussion was informative and included a lot of great experts on the subject.
The first part of the morning was a discussion between National Journal reporter Fawn Johnson and Jane Oates, assistant secretary of employment and training administration with the U.S. Department of Labor. Oates spoke passionately on what she believes needs to happen in order to address the skills gap. Like CompTIA, Oates believes that training on its own is not enough; that training must lead to an industry-recognized credential whenever possible. Oates also made the point that industry and education are speaking two different languages and that we need to do a better job of communicating. Oates also emphasized the need for more apprenticeships and on-the-job training programs. Fewer and fewer schools are demanding such programs, and even institutions like Northeastern University, which is known for its co-op program, are not requiring 100 percent of students to participate. Part of this on-the-job training would also be helpful for developing and honing soft skills that are often not taught in a classroom.
Oates also addressed the recruitment and hiring process. She noted that job descriptions lack detail on the soft skills that a job requires. Another challenge here is helping capable applicants develop into the employees that an organization needs. Right now, much of this burden is on the employer and it is an expensive undertaking in both time commitment and monetary investment. The same goes for students entering college. Seventy percent of students entering colleges, outside of tier 1 colleges, need remediation. Finally, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) was discussed, as was the role of career and technical education (CTE). As for STEM, Oates stated that we need to do a better job teaching STEM and analytical skills at the K-12 level. These skills will open up doors to the high-paying jobs of the future and not all will require a four year degree. She stated that CTE is critical to meeting the needs of the future and that skills developed in these curriculums should be coupled with other soft skills for the best outcome.
The second panel of the morning included Anthony Carnevale, director and research professor at the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University; Shaun McAlmont, chief executive officer at Lincoln Educational Services; Andrew Reamer, research professor at the Institute of Public Policy at George Washington University; and Martha Ross, fellow with the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institute. This panel discussion covered a lot of ground including CTE and industry recognized credentials. There are a lot of misconceptions about CTE schools, despite the fact that every course is tied to a career. Some interesting facts discussed: CTE graduates fair better in the labor market than their four-year counterparts; thirty percent of associate degree holders make more than B.A. holders; and domestic born STEM graduates are in management, which is higher paying, by the time they are in their early thirties. The audience and panel agreed it’s a good idea to tie industry credentials to academic programs.
All in all it was a great discussion and I look forward to attending more in the future and taking what we learned here into conversations with legislators.
