Do you know what is needed from workforce development to meet employer needs? This presentation examines "Are They Really Ready to Work" report and how Key Train curriculum can address those needs.

1. What’s Needed to Meet
Employer’s Expectations
Glenda Owen
Chief, Workforce Services
OESC

2. 3 Forces Changing our Nation’s Future
Changing Economy
Divergent Skill Distribution
Demographic Shifts
“America’s Perfect Storm: Three Forces Changing our
Nation’s Future” 2007 Irwin Kirsch, ETS

3. Literacy Skills
#1: Divergent Skill
Distribution
Wide Disparity in literacy and numeracy
skills among our school-age and adult
populations.
Graduation rate for disadvantaged minorities
is thought to be closer to 50%.
Adult population 16+ years do not
demonstrate sufficient skills to fully
participate in an increasingly competitive
work environment.
Skills are not evenly distributed across
groups defined by race/ethnicity, origin of
birth and socioeconomic status.

4. Literacy Skills: Here’s What We
Know
Half of America’s adults lack
literacy skills needed for the 21st
century.
Percentage of Adults 16-65 Years
Old at:
Level 1= 20%
Level 2 = 32%
Level 3 = 35%
Level 4/5 = 13%

5. Literacy Skills Relationship to Highest
Educational Attainment
Level 4 350
● 336, graduate degree
Level 3 ● 322, 4-year degree
● 308, 2-year degree
300
● 294, Some college
● 270, H.S. Diploma
● 268, GED
Level 2 250
● 231, 9 - 12 grade
Level 1 200
● 177, 0 - 8 grade
< Level 1 150

6. Seismic Changes in Our
Economy
#2 Changing Economy
Labor Markets of today are
markedly different from those of
earlier decades.
Employment growth
Earnings accruing to particular
level of educational attainment

7. Demographic Changes
#3 Demographic Trends
U.S. labor force growing slower—none of
the growth is predicted from native-born
workers 25-54 years of age.
Immigrants will account for more than
50% of the growth.
Hispanic population will increase by 20%
by 2030.
57% 16-64 year olds are foreign-born.
50%+ lack a high school diploma.
80% of these report they do not speak
English well or none at all.

8. Literacy Skills:
Percentage of Adults by Race
50
45
40
35
30 Level 1
Level 2
25
Level 3
20
Level 4/5
15
10
5
0
Asians Black Hispanic White

9. Demographics + Skill Distribution
Over the next 25 years or so, as better-
educated individuals leave the
workforce they will be replaced by those
who, on average, have lower levels of
education and skill.
Over the same period, 50% of projected
job growth will be concentrated in
occupations associated with higher
education and skill levels.
Result: Millions of students and adults will
be less able to qualify for higher-paying
jobs.

10. The Facts:
Only 1 out of 5 HR professionals
say all of their employees have the
competencies they need.
54% say some of their workers have
the competencies they need.
8% say almost none of their workers
have the right competencies.
Source: SHRM 2005 Future of the Labor Force Study

11. The Facts:
Top 5 missing competencies:
Overall professionalism
Written communication skills
Analytical skills
Business knowledge
Verbal communication skills
Source: SHRM 2005 Future of the Labor Force Study

12. What U.S. Employers Have Said
2007 Report
“Are They Really Ready for
Work?”
U.S. Businesses—cross the
country and industry sectors—
spoke about workforce
readiness of new entrants in
today’s workplace.

13. “Most Important” Skills Needed to
Succeed in the Workplace
Professionalism & Work Ethics
Oral and Written Communication
Teamwork and Collaboration
Critical Thinking and Problem-
solving
Three R’s
Reading (in English)
Writing &
Arithmetic

14. High School Graduates
Top 5 Basic Skills Needed
Reading Comprehension 62.5%
English Language 61.8%
Writing in English 49.4%
Mathematics 30.4%
Foreign Language 11.0%

15. Two-year College Graduates
Top 5 Basic Skills Needed
Reading Comprehension 71.6%
English Language 70.6%
Writing in English 64.9%
Mathematics 44.0%
Science 21.2%

16. Four-Year Graduate
Top 5 Basic Skills Needed
Writing in English 89.7%
English Language 88.0%
Reading Comprehension 87.0%
Mathematics 64.2%
Science 33.4%

17. Importance of Skills
For High School students, 4 of the
top 5 “very important” skills are
applied skills:
1: Professionalism/Work Ethics
(80.3)
2: Teamwork/Collaboration (74.7)
3: Oral Communications (70.3)
4: Ethics/Social Responsibility (63.4)
5: Reading Comprehension (62.5)

18. Importance of Skills
2-year college/technical school
diploma, 4 of the top 5 “very important”
skills are applied skills:
1: Professionalism/Work Ethics (83.4)
2: Teamwork/Collaboration (82.7)
3: Oral Communications (82.0)
4: Critical Thinking/
Problem-solving (72.7)
5: Reading Comprehension (71.6)

19. Importance of Skills
4-year college diploma, 4 of the top
5 “very important” skills are applied
skills:
1: Oral Communications (95.4)
2: Teamwork/Collaboration (94.4)
3: Professionalism/Work Ethics
(93.8)
4: Written Communication (93.1)
5: Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
(92.1)

20. Improvements Needed
High School Graduates
Deficient in the basic knowledge and
skills:
Writing in English, Mathematics, & Reading
Comprehension
Deficient in Written Communications
and Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
Deficient in Professionalism/Work
Ethics
Adequate in I.T. Application, Diversity,
& Teamwork/Collaboration

21. Student Math & Reading
Achievement at end of HS
By age 17:
1 in 17 students can comfortably do
multi-step problem-solving and
elementary algebra.
1 in 17 students can read and gain
information from specialized text—
something like the science section in
your local newspaper.
NAEP Trend Assessments

22. Skills Increasing in Importance
Over Next 5 Years
Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
77.8%
I.T. Application 77.4%
Teamwork/Collaboration 74.2%
Creativity/Innovation 73.6%
Diversity 67.1%
Leadership 66.9%

23. Oral Communications
65.9%
Professionalism/Work Ethics
64.4%
Ethics/Social Responsibility
64.3%
Written Communication
64.0%

24. What HR Professionals Say
Workplace Trends:
1. Employees must have
computer literacy.
2. Greater Demand for High-
Skilled Workers than for
Low-Skilled Workers
Source: SHRM

25. What HR Professionals Say
People-related Issues:
Retaining Talent
•
Attracting Talent with Critical
•
Skills
Improving Workplace
•
Performance
Building New Workforce Skills
•
for the Next Round of Growth
Source: Towers Perrin

26. Trends in Technology
Internet Recruitment
Possess skills for completing on-
line applications.
Most ATS (Applicant Tracking
Systems) time out within 15 minutes
of starting—job seekers have a clock
ticking for completing the application!

27. Equipped for the Future
Worker Road Map
Adapt to Change & Contribute to
the change.
Do the Work
Work with Others
Work within the Big Picture
Plan & Direct Personal &
Professional Growth
US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

28. Do the Work
“Workers use personal and
organizational resources to perform
their work and adapt to changing
work demands”
Organize, plan & prioritize work.
Use technology, resources and work
tools to put ideas and work directions
into action.
Respond to and meet new work
challenges.
Take responsibility for assuring work
quality and results.

29. Work with Others
“Workers interact one-on-one and
participates as members of a team to
produce results.”
Communicate with others inside and
outside of the organization.
Give assistance, motivation and
direction.
Seek & receive assistance, support,
motivation and direction.
Value people different from yourself.

30. Work Within the Big Picture
“Workers recognize that formal and
informal expectations shape options
in their work lives and often influence
their level of success.”
Work within Organizational Norms.
Respect organizational goals,
performance, and structure to guide
work activities.
Balance individuals roles and needs
with those of the organization.
Guide individual and organizational
priorities based on industry trends,
labor laws, and competitive practices

31. Plan & Manage Personal and
Professional Growth
“Workers prepare themselves for the
changing demands of the economy
through personal renewal and
growth.”
Balance work, career and personal
needs.
Pursue work activities that provide
personal satisfaction and meaning.
Plan, review, and pursue personal
and career goals.
Learn new skills.

32. What Workforce Development
Professionals Must Do
Key Train Basic and Key Train
Career Skills address 15 of the
workplace skills addressed by U.S.
businesses.
Promoting, encouraging and
administering this curriculum
demonstrates to U.S. businesses
that new entrants have the
necessary skills to succeed in the
workplace.

33. Using KeyTrain to Measure
Skill Assessment
Key Train
Basic Workplace Skills
Communication Skills
English Language
Reading & Locating
Reading
Information
Comprehension
Writing & Business
Writing in English
Writing
Communication Skills
Mathematics Applied Math

34. Using KeyTrain to Measure
Skill Assessment
Applied Skills Key Train
Critical Thinking & Workplace Effectiveness
Problem Solving
Oral Communication Communication Skills
Writing & Business Writing
Written
Communication
Teamwork & Work Habits
Communication Skills
Teamwork & Collaboration
Workplace Effectiveness

35. Using KeyTrain to Measure
Skill Assessment
Applied Skills Key Train
Diversity Workplace Ethics
I. T. Application Communication Skills
Communication Skills
Leadership
Work Habits
Creativity/Innovation
Communication Skills
Business Etiquette
Lifelong Learning/
Workplace Effectiveness
Self Direction
Work Habits

36. Using KeyTrain to Measure
Skill Assessment
Applied Skills Key Train
Professionalism & Workplace Effectiveness
Work Ethics Work Habits
Business Etiquette
Work Habits
Ethics & Social
Business Etiquette
Responsibility

37. Any Questions?
Glenda Owen
Oklahoma Employment Security
Commission
PO Box 52003
Oklahoma City, OK 73152
(405) 962-4603
(405) 203-2727
Glenda.owen@oesc.state.ok.us