DEFENSE INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP Skill Gap Study Beth Ashman Ninigret Partners February 2012 1 Supported by
Feb 23, 2016
DEFENSE INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPSkill Gap Study
Beth AshmanNinigret Partners
February 2012
Supported by
2
Purpose
• Identify and understand skill gaps affecting firms in Rhode Island’s Defense Sector today and projected in the next five years.
• Identify skill areas that could contribute to the growth of defense employers in Rhode Island
• Analysis is inclusive of all occupational groups and all skill areas that contribute to the success of RI Defense businesses.
3
Describe your company’s defense work
Other (please specify)
Textiles
Precision parts and components
Other manufacturing
Electronics or instrument manufacturing
General support and maintenance services
Computer systems design services
Management services
Scientific research and development services
Engineering services
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
About the Survey Respondents
4
Are you doing contract work to support the following customers? (check all that apply)
Department of Energy
Local Security/Emergency Response (e.g., Police, Fire, EMS)
FEMA or State Emergency Man-agement Agencies
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Defense
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Yes (prime or subcontract in any tier) Not presently, but pursuing this market
Number of Respondents out of 67
About the Survey Respondents
67 R
espo
nden
ts
5
What is the anticipated outlook for the defense portion of your business in Rhode Island in the next five years?
50%
14%
21%
15%
Expansion
Expand only to keep pace with economic growth
Stay the same
Decline
Outlook from Survey
Critical Skill Gaps
7
1. Number of hires by typeEngineersTechniciansSkilled production workers
2. Difficulty of filling positionsDifficult (many open positions unfilled)Marginal (job searches longer than ideal)Easy (filling open positions quickly)
3. Skill gaps observed in applicant pool
Identifying Critical Skill Gaps
Financial/Contract Administrators
Program Management
Data Entry Operators
Logistics
Administrative
Degreed Engineers
Technicians (Engineering/CIS/Science)
Skilled Production
50 100 150
10
11
12
18
50
51
63
123En
try
Leve
l
Hiring Projections for the Next Year
Financial and Contract Managers
Advanced Computer Operation
Program Management
Technical Writers
Skilled Production Workers
Administrative
Logistics
Technicians (Engineering/CIS/Science)
Degreed Engineers
-10 40 90 140
7
7
10
12
13
14
18
43
64
Financial and Contract Managers
Logistics
Administrative
Program Management
Technicians (Engineering/CIS/Science)
Degreed Engineers (Master’s Level and Above)
-10 40 90 140
6
9
16
18
26
35
Mid
Lev
elSe
nior
Lev
el
9
How would you describe your company’s ability to find and hire the right talent?
Perc
ent d
ifficu
lt or
mar
gina
lDifficult or Marginal Percent Number of respondents
Other Engineers 83% 40
Logisticians 76% 25
Computer or Electrical Engineers 74% 35
Technicians 65% 32
Production Workers 60% 12
Financial & Contract Administration 57% 24
Business Administration 47% 22
10
Top Five Critical Skill Gaps by Career
11
How many people do you hire per year in Rhode Island in your company or division?
0 – 3 4 – 12 13 – 25 26 – 50 Greater than 50
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Hiring
The Workforce Pipeline
13
26 Defense Employers Support STEM Education
14
Rating Potential Defense Industry Partnership (DIP) Education Efforts
K-12 STEM Education
Industry Activities with Business Schools
Organizing to support college engineering programs
0 5 1015202530 35404550
9
8
11
10
13
17
10
15
9
14
8
8
4- Very Interested321- Not Interested
count of respondents
Supporting STEM Education
15
What types of cooperative activities would benefit your company with regard to internship programs?
Not Beneficial Highly Beneficial
Share best practices for successfully supporting interns
Mentoring skills sessions for employees who will work with interns
Improve internship preparation by local college programs to help students meet workplace ex-
pectations
More interaction with faculty to help get ap-propriate intern referrals
Align curriculum with industry needs
1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0
2.5
2.8
3.1
3.1
3.2
Supporting STEM Education
16
Engineering and Computer Science Bachelor’s DegreesRhode Island Schools and UMass Dartmouth, 1989-2009
Engineering and computer science graduates continue to be in high demand while the degree pipeline does not grow.
Source: IPEDS database in NSF webcaspar.
19871989
19901991
19921993
19941995
19961997
19982000
20012002
20032004
20052006
20072008
20090
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1,000
Computer & Infor-mation Science
Engineering
17
Women as a Percent of Select Technology Degrees
19891990
19911992
19931994
19951996
19971998
20002001
20022003
20042005
20062007
20082009
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
9%
7%
44%
16% Engineering TechComputer Tech
Asso
ciat
esBa
chel
or’s
19891990
19911992
19931994
19951996
19971998
20002001
20022003
20042005
20062007
20082009
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
18%
14%
35%
21% EngineeringComputer and In-formation Science
Source: IPEDS database in NSF webcaspar.
Rhode Island Schools and UMass Dartmouth, 1989-2009
Moving Forward
19
Short Term
Professional development for current employees
Recruit and train transitioning military personnel
Support college engineering programs•quality of student experiential learning opportunities•collaborative research
Collaborative internship program
Manufacturing expertise to support the Innovation Economy •build a college-level Manufacturing Education in RI
Organize to support STEM education•increase student interest, preparation, and enrollment
Med
ium
Long
Term
Framework for Action
Contact Information
Beth AshmanNinigret [email protected] 719 3097 (mobile)