Skills Gap is Widening

[Paul Schumann]

From the Futurist Update

Since the global recession has forced many employers to cut costs—
including labor costs—one area may need a resurgence of investment:
training.

U.S. employers continue to struggle with finding new hires who have not
just the basic skills, but also higher-level critical thinking and
creativity skills, according to a new report from The Conference Board.
Since the education system is not supplying young workers with these
skills, companies may have to devote more of their own resources to
bringing workers up to their required skill levels.

Some options include providing internships and working more closely
with community colleges. The goal should be to prepare workers before
they go out into the job market.

"It is a losing strategy for employers to try to fill the workforce
readiness gap on the job. They need to be involved much sooner to
prepare new employees to succeed," according to Donna Klein of
Corporate Voices for Working Families, which worked with The Conference
Board on the report.

SOURCE: The Conference Board
www.conference-board.org/utilities/pressDetail.cfm?press_ID=3693

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more on future jobs and the talent shortage, see the
September-October 2009 issue of THE FUTURIST featuring John Challenger,
Edward Gordon, and Alexandra Levit, which mails to WFS members August 3.