“Bridging the Skills Gap” It Takes a Village!
May 14, 2015
“Bridging the Skills Gap”
It Takes a Village!
About Us
The Sparrow Group
Proven Student Engagement Success
The sparrow is known for being nimble, quick, loyal, and attentive to details, and for unusual vision which
enables them to see opportunity from a great distance.
2 © Copyright 2012 The Sparrow Group. www.sparrowgroup.biz
Introduction
What You’ll Learn Today:
• The Skills Gap relationship to market conditions
• The factors, causes, and effects of the skills gap on your institution
• The five key areas of focus for solving the skills gap
• Tactical, practical tools to engage the entire institution in employment outcomes
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Why is this topic important to you?
4
We a
re lo
oking fo
r tact
ic..
We n
eed data
to su
ppor...
Soft-
skill
s is o
ur gre
atest
...
New
ideas!
25% 25%25%25%1. We are looking for tactical tools for campus-wide engagement.
2. We need data to support the importance of soft skills.
3. Soft-skills is our greatest obstacle to graduate employment.
4. New ideas!
Assessing your students’ soft-skills readiness
5 M
ajorit
y are w
ell pre
pared.
Majo
rity ar
e som
ewhat .
..
Majo
rity ar
e ill p
repare
d.
Majo
rity ca
n’t sp
ell so
ft-s..
.
25% 25%25%25%1. Majority are well prepared.
2. Majority are somewhat prepared.
3. Majority are ill prepared.
4. Majority can’t spell soft-skills , let alone practice them!
Defining the “Skills Gap”
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The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) –
ASTD defines a skills gap as a significant gap between an organization’s current capabilities and the skills it needs to
achieve its goals.
Current Market Conditions
• More than half (53 percent) of U.S. companies report a major challenge in
recruiting non-managerial employees with the skills and knowledge needed
• In a recent poll by ASTD taken by 1,179 organizations, 79% report a skills gap
within their organization
• The Most Noticeable Gaps are in:
Leadership & Executive Level Skills
Basic Skills
Emotional Intelligence
Creative/Innovative Skills
Communication/Interpersonal Skills
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1 Bureau of Labor Statistics 2011 2 Bridgeland, J., Milano, J., & Rosenblum, E. (2011). Across the great divide: Perspectives of CEOs and College Presidents on America’s higher education and skills gap.
The Gap
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The Root of the Problem
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In a survey of more than 400 major employers …
• 42% rated the overall preparation of high school grads for entry level jobs as deficient
• 73% rated their leadership skills deficient
• 70% rated graduates deficient in both professionalism (work ethic) and critical thinking (problem solving)
• 54% rated grads creativity/innovation skills deficient McKinsey Global Institute. (June 2011). An
economy that works: Job creation and America’s future. Retrieved from http://www.mckinsey. com/mgi/publications/us_jobs/pdfs/MGI_us_jobs_full_report.pdf
Solving the Problem in Five Areas of Focus
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Skills
Gap
Early Tenure
Personalized Mitigation
Soft-Skill Education
Throughout
Experiential Learning
Employer Partners
At which stages are you purposefully reinforcing soft-skills
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Early
Tenure
Contin
uing st
u...
Pre
-Gra
duation
Exte
rn/In
tern
s...
Alu
mni
All
of the a
bo...
17% 17% 17%17%17%17%
1. Early Tenure
2. Continuing student
3. Pre-Graduation
4. Extern/Internship
5. Alumni
6. All of the above
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Establish a Baseline
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• 5 Assessment Points – Within Month 1 – Early Term – Mid-Term – Late Term – 1 Month prior to Externship/Internship
• 10 Professionalism Criteria
– Reflects behaviors and characteristics deemed critical to
success in today’s workplace
– Reflects attributes, tools, practices and skills equipping a job seeker to compete for desirable positions
Student “Employ-Ability” Scorecard
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Employ-Ability Progress Report
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0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Comm Attitude Timely Reliable Organized Image Feedback Team Integrity Application
New Student
Early Tenure
Mid-Tenure
Near Graduation
Graduation
Personalized Mitigation- “AAA”
• Ability
– Tutoring
– Mentoring
– “Buddy System”
• Aptitude
– Experiential Learning (McGraw Hill Learning Solutions)
– Adaptive Learning (McGraw Hill “Connect” or “Aleks”)
• Attitude
– Self Driven Assessment Modules and Reports
– Professionalism Workshops
– Reward & Recognition Programs
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If you polled your staff- who would THEY say is responsible for teaching soft-skills?
17 C
areer S
ervice
...
Educa
tion
Student S
ervic.
..
Exte
rn si
te m
a...
It’s
the st
ude...
No o
ne
Every
one
14% 14% 14% 14%14%14%14%1. Career Services
2. Education
3. Student Services
4. Extern site managers
5. It’s the student’s responsibility
6. No one
7. Everyone
On-Going Soft-Skills Education
It Takes A Village!
• Career messages reinforced in all areas of campus (TOMA) • Professionalism at all times (language is important) • Staff and Faculty participate in campus life • Office hours clearly posted and observed • On-the-spot recognition for desired behaviors
(asking good questions, dressing well, good teamwork, excellent accountability) • Model excellent employment behavior (on time, dress appropriately, deliver grades on
time, etc.) • Every experience reinforces professionalism
– Syllabi – Faculty observations – Faculty feedback reviews – Attendance calls
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Top of Mind Awareness (TOMA)
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Sample Reports-Student Outcomes
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Which of the following topics are you conducting purposeful instruction for?
21 P
rofe
ssio
nalis...
Socia
l-Media
Image
Inte
rvie
win
g
Job Se
arch
Exte
rn/In
tern
s...
All
of the a
bo...
14% 14% 14% 14%14%14%14%1. Professionalism
2. Social-Media
3. Image
4. Interviewing
5. Job Search
6. Extern/Internship Prep
7. All of the above
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Maximizing Social Media to Get A Great Job
Realize Your Career Potential- The Power of Professionalism
Writing a Winning Resume & Cover Letter
Soft-Skills Workshops
Create your Online Brand
Facebook Do’s & Don'ts
Linked In Benefits
Create your LinkedIn Profile
Brainstorm your Connections
Homework-Self Assessment
Identifying Non-Verbal Behaviors
7 Keys to Exhibiting
Professionalism
Importance of staying current in
their industry
Do’s & Don’ts of a Professional
Image Exercise
Homework, Self-Assessment of
Professionalism Skills
Basics of writing a resume and
tailoring it to each desired job
Foundations of a strong cover letter
Practice networking
Lessons about job search readiness
Homework, Create Resume & Cover
Letter
© Copyright 2012 The Sparrow Group. www.sparrowgroup.biz
How to Conduct a Successful Job Search
Interview Strategies for Success
Pinpoint their Desired Job
Create a “You Brand”
5 Essentials of Preparing
Properly
Targeting a Company or
Specific Job
Practice networking
Making a Good First Impression
How to Answer Interview Questions
10 Most Asked Interview Questions
Researching a Company
7 Steps for Preparing
Soft-Skills Workshops-cont.
Preparing for Externship
Preparing for Externship
Making a Good First Impression
Competency Exercise
Do’s & Don’ts During Externship
Confidence Exercise
Making the Most of Externship
Asking for the Job
Preparing for Externship
© Copyright 2012 The Sparrow Group. www.sparrowgroup.biz
Soft Skills Workshops
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Soft-Skills Workshop
1. Maximizing Social Media to Get a Great Job
2. Conducting a Successful Job Search
3. Writing a Winning Resume & Cover Letter
4. Interviewing Strategies for Success
5. Realizing your Career Potential- The Power of Professionalism
6. Intern/Externship Excellence- Your Open Door to a New Career! 27
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The Workshops include the following:
• The facilitator’s guide – everything you need to know to deliver the workshop
successfully
• The student workbook- an interactive workbook for students to utilize for each
workshop with activities, pages for notes and resource pages.
• Workshop Evaluation – This is for your students to complete so you’ll have feedback
about how to improve your presentation next time you deliver it, and you’ll also learn
about the other programs that they want to see
• Presentations – Not all workshops require the use of Power Point. Fundamentally we
believe that unless Power Point adds to the learning, we don’t use them.
Why
Intern/
Externship
Work?
CareerBuilder Stats
Survey Reinforces Importance of Experience
81% 80%
68% 64% 59%
50% 50% 46%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
From the report: “Opportunities in Education: Strategies for Private Sector Colleges 2011,” Presented by CareerBuilder
Experiential Learning Offerings- For All Programs!
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• Student
– Practice what they’ve learned
– Gain practical experience
– Potential hire to full-time work
• College
– Evidence of program excellence for accreditors
– Evidence of program employment outcomes
– Student satisfaction
– Key competitive advantage for recruiting/admissions
Impact of Experiential Learning
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1. 83% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that “work/internship experience acquired before, or during graduate school, results in greater employment opportunities upon graduation.”
2. Undergraduates in a business school were more likely to receive job offers if they had completed an internship
3. Intern alumni had higher salaries than non-intern alumni
1) Cassidy, 2010 2) Gault, Leach and Dewey, 2010 3) Gault, Reddington and Schlager, 2000
Employer Partnerships
Businesses are beginning to realize the importance of collaborating with local education institutions, and vice versa.
“Colleges need businesses to serve as working advisors so that curriculum has relevance and value for their organizational goals and employees’ knowledge and skills,”
-Patricia Claghorn, Dean of Continuing Education and Institutional
Advancement for Gloucester County College (GCC) in Sewell, New Jersey.
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Employer Partnership s
• Advisory Board/PAC Committees
• Guest Speaking
• Curriculum Review
• Highlight Business
– Culture
– Benefits
– Uniqueness
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Ann Cross Executive Partner The Sparrow Group [email protected] www.sparrowgroup.biz http://www.linkedin.com/in/anncross
Martha Lanaghen President The Sparrow Group [email protected] www.sparrowgroup.biz http://www.linkedin.com/in/marthalanaghen
Questions??
Thank you! Please feel free to contact us with additional questions.
Resources
• Community college programs help fill skills gap in U.S. (USA Today, 04/09/2012)
• The Skills Gap: A Quick Note (Forbes, 06/08/2012) • Does a Skills Gap Contribute to Unemployment? (New York
Times, 07/09/2012) • The skills gap: Myth or reality? (Star-Tribune, 08/05/2012) • 8 Steps for Closing the Skills Gap (Huffington Post,
08/21/2012) • Solving the Manufacturing Skills Gap (The Atlantic,
09/06/2012) • Skills gap is hampering labor market (The Hill, 09/09/2012)
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