By Guest Author: Jim Postl
I am over 40 years in business. The perspective that comes with four decades of experience includes understanding how much has changed. , , and how much remains the same.
An immutable, undeniable constant in a successful company is a high-quality workforce.
Good people are the fuel that makes a continuation. If people do not need the skills have not only have difficulty a rewarding career carving, but not their employers have the workers they need to be productive.
Unfortunately, this exact situation in the country begins to develop.
We are in the midst of a crisis of the "skills gap". This means that there are more jobs than qualified people to fill these jobs people.
Without the workers, who have to meet the needs of employers, the education and training, positions remain vacant (or through the less busy than ideal candidates). A skills gap disrupts operations and productivity in the thigh.
I see this crisis develop in my home state of Texas. The research of the business organization emphasized Ready Nation shows the seriousness of the situation: In 2020, 62 percent of jobs in Texas require some form of post-secondary education. However, only 55 percent of workers in our country has this level of education. This gap of seven percent corresponds to about 338,000 could go vacancies because our employees do not have the level of training of entrepreneurs.
These are not only a problem of Texas. This is an American problem.
Nationally, 65 percent of the 2020 jobs will require some form of post-secondary education. Only 60 percent of the US workforce hits the mark. This means that if trends do not change, this difference of five percent is equivalent to about 2.75 million jobs may go unfilled.
Even worse is the fact that the skills gap, especially in the "MINT" is pronounced (science, technology, engineering and math) fields, which is a major growth area. MINT range expansion is only the urgency of finding a way to strengthen the skills gap to close.
That means a lot to me personally, because I spent a part of my career in the energy sector, which is heavily reliant on STEM employees. I know firsthand that the strength of insufficient STEM work will result in a weak economy for energy and many, many other industries.
We need to help able students with the tools they need jobs in high demand to grow today and tomorrow. Fortunately, we have at our disposal solutions that do just that, can help.
We know that the programs of technical education (CTE) and can often be the best way for students need training derived and to obtain other fields. Network perfectly with CTE is education a model supports research as a "deep learning."
to learn a deeper focus on skills "executive functions" entrepreneur of today's value. These include skills such as collaboration and critical thinking, incorporating feedback into the product work, problem solving, effective communication, and the knowledge and mastery of basic scientific content.
In particular, the project-based learning is a cornerstone of deeper learning. deeper learning are in the real world students experience, often direct links between the school and the workplace, with businesses and community partners often provide direct support for these programs to create.
Another example of learning and project-based learning is action Manor New Tech High School. Located just a few hours west of my hometown Houston, Manor New Tech is part of a national network has its origin centered Student projects are created as the basis for practical training in secondary schools.
Students are responsible for making the actual work by project-related tasks. They cooperate with each other and with the teachers of traditional and virtual way. New Tech students prepared simultaneously through this exciting and innovative method of learning to higher education and professional future.
Better yet, the data suggest that the deeper learning brings positive results. In 2013, New Tech students graduated six percent higher than the national average. It also improves their performance in school and state assessment preparation work 75 points between ninth and twelfth classes from other schools.
In addition, research on deep learning and "career academies" on the basis of projects throughout the country showed that the students were twice as likely to engineering students to work as a non-participant in the areas of the media and computer technology eight years after graduation.
deeper learning reflects including learing the realities of the world market of today. Employers need workers with executive powers functioning and practical knowledge that comes with vocational and technical education. We also know that the economy of the 21st century based on an approach focused project, a program that prepares better project concepts includes the students for the workplace.
We begin the legislative progress on this front to see. The career of the two parties and technical improvements to the law of the 21st century that the federal support programs for vocational and technical training in Texas and nationally, has been unanimously approved recently reauthorize through the House Committee on Education and hand Job.
This legislative proposal contains many elements that promote the formation and deeper learning. He also stressed the training initiatives, the universities and secondary education, employers and career technical programs and training are aligned, the manpower needs of local and regional work to meet, now and in the future, students that they can be fitted a career with the knowledge Track that there are job opportunities in their local community.
This is an important first step, but there is more to do.
Project relies not only Congress has to complete the reauthorization of the Perkins Act Career and Technical Education, focuses on the deeper learning, but all of us in the business world and it must be ensured in addition that our education system provides children learning opportunities and deeper.
Our economy needs workers with the skills and knowledge are encouraged through innovative educational models. Embracing these models will help ensure that we are well qualified people necessary skills offer this gap and preserve our economic success to fill.
This blog is a part of "It's a project that in the world" series. For more information and a client for help series, see page on overall project based join -. #projectbased The conversation.
For more information, see:
Jim Postl is the former CEO of State Pennzoil, the former CEO of Nabisco International and member of the Ready Nation.
No comments:
Post a Comment