DOCUMENT RESUME ED 391 889 CE 070 735 AUTHOR Harnish, Dorothy; Anukam, Ray TITLE Survey of Georgia Employers. INSTITUTION Georgia Univ., Athens. Dept. of Occupational Studies. SPONS AGENCY Georgia State Dept. of Technical and Adult Education, Atlanta. PUB DATE 96 NOTE 50p. PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022) Statistical Data (110) JOURNAL CIT Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education Research Brief; v2 nl Win 1996 EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Adult Education; *Employer Attitudes; Emploptcent Patterns; Employment Projections; *Employment Qualifications; Industrial Training; Labor Force Development; Labor Needs; Partnerships in Education; School Business Relationship; State Surveys; Tables (Data); *Technical Education; Technical Institutes; Two Year Colleges 'IDENTIFIERS Employer Surveys; *Georgia ABSTRACT The business and industry representatives present at the initial meeting of each of Georgia's 16 state technical committees responsible for reviewing the curricula offered by Georgia technical institutes were surveyed to gather information about general trends in the workplace and ways of relating those trends to planning/revising technical education in Georgia (93 responded). The survey focused on the following topics: business-education partnerships; company-sponsored employee training; current business/industry trends (total quality management, hiring qualifications, technical institute program quality, hiring shortage/job growth); and work force issues. One-third of the companies represented were prezently members of tech prep or school-to-work partnerships with high schools or technical institutes. Employee training was being provided by 867. of the companies. The quality of programs at .!..echnical institutes was considered excellent by 19% of respondents, good by 48%, adequate by 23%, and poor by only 3%. The greatest areas of protected job growth in the next 5-10 years were in the categories technicians (66%), professional positions (25%), and entry-level production jobs (19%). Thirty-four percent of respondents expected downsizing of their companies in the near future. (Appendixes constituting more than 80% of this document contain 41 tables/graphs summarizing the survey results. Contains 10 references.) (MN) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be Tade from the original document. ***********************************************************************
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DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 391 889 CE 070 735
AUTHOR Harnish, Dorothy; Anukam, RayTITLE Survey of Georgia Employers.INSTITUTION Georgia Univ., Athens. Dept. of Occupational
Studies.SPONS AGENCY Georgia State Dept. of Technical and Adult Education,
Atlanta.PUB DATE 96NOTE 50p.
PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022) Statistical Data(110)
JOURNAL CIT Georgia Department of Technical and Adult EducationResearch Brief; v2 nl Win 1996
EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Adult Education; *Employer Attitudes; Emploptcent
Patterns; Employment Projections; *EmploymentQualifications; Industrial Training; Labor ForceDevelopment; Labor Needs; Partnerships in Education;School Business Relationship; State Surveys; Tables(Data); *Technical Education; Technical Institutes;Two Year Colleges
'IDENTIFIERS Employer Surveys; *Georgia
ABSTRACTThe business and industry representatives present at
the initial meeting of each of Georgia's 16 state technicalcommittees responsible for reviewing the curricula offered by Georgiatechnical institutes were surveyed to gather information aboutgeneral trends in the workplace and ways of relating those trends toplanning/revising technical education in Georgia (93 responded). Thesurvey focused on the following topics: business-educationpartnerships; company-sponsored employee training; currentbusiness/industry trends (total quality management, hiringqualifications, technical institute program quality, hiringshortage/job growth); and work force issues. One-third of thecompanies represented were prezently members of tech prep orschool-to-work partnerships with high schools or technicalinstitutes. Employee training was being provided by 867. of thecompanies. The quality of programs at .!..echnical institutes wasconsidered excellent by 19% of respondents, good by 48%, adequate by23%, and poor by only 3%. The greatest areas of protected job growthin the next 5-10 years were in the categories technicians (66%),professional positions (25%), and entry-level production jobs (19%).Thirty-four percent of respondents expected downsizing of theircompanies in the near future. (Appendixes constituting more than 80%of this document contain 41 tables/graphs summarizing the surveyresults. Contains 10 references.) (MN)
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Survey of Georgia EmployersResponsiveness to business andindustry needs for an educatedworkforce has beer a hallmark of the .
technical institutes (TIs) in Georgiasince their inception. Programstandards and guides for over 120technical curricula were originallydeveloped through an industry-drivenmodel utilizing input from StateTechnical Committees of business andindustry representatives, workingtogether with TI program faculty. TheStandards Project (now the Occupa-tional Research Group) of theUniversity of Georgia and the GeorgiaDepartment of Technical and AdultEducation (DTAE) provided leadershipfor this statewide curriculum effort.
Beginning Fall 1995 all standardizedprograms are undergoing a compre-hensive updating process, again basedon input from representatives ofbusiness and industry from across thestate. This statewide industry-drivenrevision process is focused on issuesthat defme a changing workforce:emerging technologies, the reorgani-zation of work and jobs, and the needfor high-level skills as well as basiccompetencies and productive workattitudes. As a first step of thecurriculum revision process, StateTechnical Committee members wereasked to discuss with programdevelopers their perceptions ofindustry's education and trainingrequirements for hiring qualifiedworkers. Discussion focused onfollowing questions:
* How is the workforce changing?* What does industry need fromeducation now and in the future?* What are the implications ofworkforce changes for postsecondarytechnical education curricula and thepreparation of students for a changingworkplace?* How well are the TI programsmeeting the needs of business andindustry in Georgia and preparingstudents with appropriate job skills?* What needs to change?
To gather information about generaltrends in the workplace and how thesemight be related to program planningand revisions in technical education inGeorgia, an employer survey question-naire was developed for use withDTAE's comprehensive revisionprocess.
MethodologyThe survey, designed and administeredby the Occupational Research Group(ORG) at the University of Georgia,queried members of the State TechnicalCommittees (STCs) for each of theprogram areas being reviewed duringthe first year of DTAE's three yearcomprehensive revision process.Questionnaire items were drawn fromnational literature on workforcedevelopment, and addressed topics ofbusiness/education partnerships,employee training needs, currentbusiness/industry trends, and changingworkforce issues identified in recent
national reports. The survey wasadministered by ORG to all businessand industry representatives at theinitial meeting of each of the 16 StateTechnical Committees in September1995. Members were asked tocomplete the questionnaire at themeeting and return it to the ORGprogram specialist facilitating themeeting. Data was compiled by ORGstaff', using SPSS and Excel software togenerate descriptive statistics (percentand frequency of responses) and tablesand charts illustrating responses to eachitem on the survey instrument.
SurveyPopulationA total of 93 completed surveys werereceived. Representatives frombusiness and industry in the followingprogram areas participated in thesurvey research: Accounting, AirConditioning, AutomatedManufacturing, Business/InformationTechnology, Business Equipment,Computers, Drafting, Electronics,Industrial Electrical, IndustrialMaintenance, Machine Tool,Marketing, Telecommunications, andEngineering Technologies - Civil,Environmental, Electronic, Mechanical,Electromechanical. The types ofcompanies STC members representedvere primarily manufacturing/
industrial and engineering/design(59%), with smaller numbers fromgeneral business, public service, and
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communications sectors (9-11% each).More than half (58%) worked at largecompanies of more than 200 full-timeemployees, and 15% at companies of20-100 full-time employees. Nearly allcompanies were American-owned(96%). Half of the companies werelocated in urban areas and another thirdin rural areas of Georgia.
Findings andDiscussionThe major categories of response fromthe survey are summarized andpresented in the section which follows.Detailed, descriptive data for each ofthe questionnaire items are provided inthe appendix of this report.
BUSINESS/EDUCATIONPARTNERSHIPS:Respondents were asked to provideinformation about current partnershipstheir company participated in witheducation and areas where they mighthave an interest in future involvement.One-third of the companies representedwere presently members of Tech Prepor School-to-Work partnerships withhigh schools or technical institutes inGeorgia, half were not, and the otherswere not sure. For those who hadpartnerships, the types of activities withtechnical institutes in which companyemployees most often participatedincluded representation on localadvisory committees for TI programs(73%), site tours for TI students orfaculty (56%), curriculum developmentfor TI courses (53%), and classroompresentations at local TIS (43%).Where companies were not currentlyinvolved with TI activities, theyexpressed the strongest interest in
muing work-based learning projectsfor students and serving as mentors forat-risk students. Nearly half ofrespoucieats' companies currentlyoffered tuition assistance for employeestaking TI courses, and a third
sponsored co-op or internshipprograms for students. Ft..ure interestwas expressed most strongly incompany sponsorship of summerinternships for TI students (37%), aswell as internships, job shadowing, andyouth apprenticeships where these werenot currently available.
COMTANY-SPONSOREDEMPLOYEE TRAINING:Asked about opportunities foremployee skill upgrading at theircompany, 86% of respondents statedthat their company provided theseopportunities. Areas of employeetraining provided most frequently bythe company included use of computersor other new equipment (73%),teamwork and problem solving (56%),safe use of equipment/tools (47%), andstatistical process control or other newprocesses (41%). This training foremployees was provided most often bya hired consultant (58%), a local TI(45%), or a continuing education unitof a local college (31%).
CURRENT BUSINESS/INDUSTRYTRENDS:Total Quality Management: Onearea of change in many corporatesettings today is the incorporation ofquality elements into standard practice.More than half of respondents indicatedthat the following areas have become orare becoming standard practice in theircompany: cross-training (70%),employee teams (63%), employeeempowerment (6)%), and continuousimprovement processes (55%).
Hiring Qualifications: Another areaof interest was the qualificationsconsidered most important in hiringworkers in business and industry.Asked to rank seven basic skillqualifications, respondents mostfrequently chose interpersonal skills astheir highest priority, followed byproblem solving skills, critical thinkingskills, and math/computation skills.Lowest ranked qualifications (relative
to others in the list) were presentationabilities, writing skills, and computerexpertise. Asked to rank eighttechnicallworkplace qualifications,respondents most frequently chosetechnical expertise as their highestpriority, followed closely by educationin the appropriate field, job-relatedexperience, and positive work attitudes.Lowest ranked qualifications (relativeto others on the list) were leadershipqualities, adaptability, ability to followdirections, and good work habits.
TI Program Quality: Respondentswere asked to rate the quality ofprograms at the technical institutes onthe basis of their experience in hiringTI gaduates. Overall responses werepositive, with 19% rating programs asexcellent, 48% rating them good, and23% rating them adequate. Only 3%said they were inadequate or poor.
Hicing Shortage/Job Growth: Askedif they were experiencing difficulties orshortages in finding potentialemployees in any areas, 46% ofrespondents answered yes, and thesame percentage said no. For thosewho responded in the positive, no clearpatterns wer.e identified in specificareas of hiring difficulty or in reasons toaccount for the shortages (see listing inappendix). The greatest area of jobgrowth in the next 5-10 years predictedby respondents was clearly in thecategory of technicians (66%). Smallerpercents identified growth in profes-sional (25%) and entry-level produc-tion (19%) jobs. Very few saw anygrowth in clerical and management jobsin the near future. Thirty-four percentof respondents expected to see adownsizing in their company in thefuture, mostly in management areas.
WORKFORCE ISSUES:Respondents were asked to indicate towhat extent their company wasexperiencing various trends identifiedin the national literature on thechanging nature of the workforce.
Based on the percentages ofrespondents who said it was verydescriptive of their company, thefollowing workforce trends seem to beoccurring in Georgia business andindustry: new technology has increasedjob skill requirements (58%);employees perform a broad range oftasks including operating andmaintaining their own equipment andperforming quality control (47%); goodattitudes, communication skills, andprevious successful work history aremore important than academiccredentials (38%), and work isperformed by self-directed teams(33%). In addition, approximately halfof the respondents said the followingtrends were somewhat descriptive oftheir company: employees participatein goal setting and budgeting activities,collaboration among autonomous teamsof workers has replaced chain-of-command management, andresponsibility is vested in individualswith specialized skills (horizontalstructures). The areas seen as leastdescriptive of Georgia business/industry, based on the percentage ofrespondents who said it was not at alldescriptive of their company weretelecommuting used as an option forsome employees (59%), full-timepositions being replaced with pait-timeand temporary employees (54%), massproduction being replaced withcustomized manufacturing (39%), andbachelor degrees being replaced bytechnical timing or associate degrees(38%).
NationalSurveys ofEmployersAt the national level, a number ofreports and books have appearedrecently which examine the changingnature of the workplace and whatemployers in business and industry
expect from education in response tothese workforce changes. AnthonyCarnivale (1989) states in WorkplaceBasics: The Skills Employers Want,"New technology. Participativemanagement. Sophisticated statisticalquality controls. Customer service.Just-in-time production. The work-place is changing and so are the skillsthat employees must have in order tochange with it. But many do not havethe basics essential for acquiring moresophisticated technical skills (p.ii).These basic skills are identified asknowing how to learn, conununi-cations, adaptability, personalmanagement, group effectiveness, andleadership, as well as the academicbasic skills. He goes on to link basicskills to global competitiveness,technical change, and individualopportunity, stating that "How acountry responds to economic andtechnical change - whether its responsewill be strong or weak - depends onhow the country integrates learningwithin its employer institutions" (p.6).Other publications by Camivale, TheLearning Enterprise (1989), Trainingthe Technical Workforce (1990),expand on these themes.
The 1991 SCANS Report What WorkRequires of Schools looked closely atthe changing workplace and the skillsneeded for employment. It identifiedfive competencies and a three-partfoundation of skills and personalqualities that lie at the heart of jobperformance. Likewise, workcurrently in progress with nationalcommittees and boards to identifyindustry-specific national voluntaryskill standards is another reflection ofthe national concern with developing aquality workforce education system.
The most recent nationwide survey ofemployers was conducted by theNational Center on the EducationalQuality of the Workforce (EQW) in1994. Called The EQW NationalEmployer Survey, the study examines
responses ftom over 4,000 companies,based on phone interviews withmanagers in both manufacturing andnon-manufacturing sectors. The surveyprovides information about howemployers recruit workers, how theyorganize work, which educationalcredentials and verience they use inscreening applicants, and what roleeducation and training play in providinga skilled workforce. Some of the keyfindings include:* Restructuring of the AmericanEconomy has not led to deskilling ofwork; 56% of employers reportedincreasing skill requirements.* Use of high-performance worksystems still remains the exceptionrather than the rule; only 37% reportedadopting a formal TQM program, only12% of non-managerial workersparticipate in self-managed teams,however, 54% do participate in regularmeetings to discuss work-relatedproblems.* Vutually all employers provide eitherformal or informal (on-the-job) trainingfor workers, and over half haveincreased formal training in the past 3years.* 20% of current workers were seen asnot fully proficient in their jobs becausethey lacked necessaary skills or becausethe skill requirements of the job hadincreased.* Years of schooling and skillscertificates are used to screen and hireapplicants, but not measures of schoolperformance (grades); what is mostimportant to employers is applicantattitudes and communication skills, anda successful history of previous workexperience.* The type of training employersprovide for workers most often relatesto safe use of equipment or tools.Second ranked training area wasimproving teamwork efforts or problemsolving skills and training in customerservice. Third ranked area was use ofcomputers and new equipment.* Training is most often provided byequipment providers/vendors (50%),
The conclusion of the study's authors isthat "despite partnership in some areas,employers and schools do not speak thesame language. What is required toend the disconnection between schoolsand employers is the establishment ofmore direct and businessliketransactions between the two" (EQWIssues, 1995, pg.7). They, recommendthat employers need to become morefamiliar with measures of learningprovided by the schools, and schoolsneed to make the measures andschooling itself more relevant to theworld of work.
Interpreting and comparing results ofvarious surveys of employer needs forskilled workers is complicated byvariations in the sampling processesused, methods of collecting data,question formats, position ofrespondents, and focus of questions.
ConclusionThe role of schools and colleges inpreparing students for the workplace isrecognized as one which his directimpact on workforce quality and globalcompetitiveness. As the workforceneeds change, the Lizills and attitudesneeded by students to be successful inthis changing environment also mustchange. It is important to create clearand strong lines of communicationbetween education and employers toassure the relevance of technicaleducation programs. Involvingbusiness and industry in curriculumdevelopment and revision, as DTAErecognizes, is the most effectivestrategy. Periodically collectinginformation from employers aboutchanging workforce trends statewidecan also provide significant input forupdating programs in the technical
institutes. The annual survey ofGeorgia employers conducted by theOccupational Research Group can helpto inform educators in the technicalinstitutes about workforce trends andtheir implications for strengthingtechnical cunicula in Georgia.
ReferencesApplebaum, E., & Batt, R. (1994).
The new American workplace:Transforming work systems in theUnited States. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press.
Braddock, D. (1995). What is atechnician? Occupational OutlookQuarterly, 39 (1), 38-44.
Bridges, W. (1994, September).The end of the job. Fortune, 62-74.
Carnevale, A. P., & Gainer, L. J.(1989). The learning enterprise.Washington., DC: U.S. Department ofLabor; Alexandria, VA: AmericanSociety for Training and Development.
Carnevale, A. P., Gainer, L. J., &Meltzer, A. S. (1988). Workplacebasics: The skills employers want.Washington, DC: U.S. Department ofLabor; Alexandria, VA: AmericanSociety for Training and Development.
Carnevale, A. P., Gainer, L. J., &Shultz, E. (1990). Training thetechnical workforce. San Francisco:Jossey-Bass.
Cimmission on the Skills of theAmerican Workforce. (June 1990).America's choice: High skills or lowwages. Rochester, NY: NationalCenter on Education and the Economy.
National Center on the EducationalQuality of the Workforce. (1994). TheEQW national employer survey: Firstfmdings. U.S. Department ofEducation, Office of Educational
Research and Improvement.
The Secretary's Commission onAchieving Necessary Skills. (June1991). What work requires of schools:A SCANS report for America 2000.Washington, DC: U.S. Department ofLabor.
Zemsky, R., & Iannozzi, M.(1995). A reality check: First fmdingsfrom the EQW national employersurvey EQW Issues,( No. 10)National Center on the EducationalQuality of the Workforce.
GDTAE Research Briefs areprepared by the OccupationalResearch Group at the University ofGeorgia, under contract to theGeorgia Department of Technicaland Adult Education, to summarizeemerging issues in the nationalliterature on postsecondarytechnical education.
Contributors:
Dr. Dorothy Harnish, ProjectCoordinator, Occupational ResearchGroup, University of Georgia
Dr. Ray Anukam, ProgramSpecialist, Occupational ResearchGroup, University of Georgia