Recruitment Innovations: Online video job interview tools to save time and money
in recruitment. Online testing to screen candidates for specific technical skills.
Southwest Missouri
2012 State of the Workforce
2
Skill Gaps in Workforce Supply & Demand
12
Tornado Impact Analysis
18
Strategies, Solutions & Resources
28
Sector Projections & Additional Research
The recession, wildly-fluctuating politics, natural disasters – 2011 was a pivotal year. It may seem like the 2012 prophesy of the world ending doesn’t sound so crazy, right? The businesses and community leaders that make up the Workforce and Economic Development partnerships in Southwest Missouri not only endured and thrived in 2011, but also set their sights on big accomplishments for 2012. Check out the latest hiring trends, workforce skill gaps, and innovation solutions to build a globally-competitive workforce for economic vitality in Southwest Missouri.
2
Why worry about skill gaps?
In the supply-demand game of workforce development, skill gaps refer to shortcomings in workforce quality. Skill shortages indicate an issue in the volume of workers needed to fuel the production of products and services. Both supply and quality are essential for productivity. The health of existing businesses in Southwest Missouri’s economy is paramount. In addition to retaining these valuable employers, the region must be prepared to seize opportunities for growth. According to the International Economic Development Council, workforce supply and quality typically rank in the top five factors affecting a company’s decision to locate or expand locally. Often, workforce is number one. The Workforce Investment Board surveyed 142 employers at the end of 2011 to gauge the skill gaps and shortages affecting the Southwest Missouri region. With 55 out of 142 employers citing specific challenges, these issues should be addressed to help retain companies and jobs to the community.
Challenges or Lost Opportunities Due to Skill Gaps or Shortages
3
Types of Skills Now & Later
While the specific types of skills can vary between companies and industry sectors, this survey considers skills in four categories. Employers offered their experience with existing (incumbent) workers. The survey also probed the need for future training by skill set for existing and new workers. More than half of the respondents indicated skill gaps both with existing workers and future hires. Soft skills continue to rank high, consistent with previous surveys. Demand for technical skills will increase, a trend consistent with input from focus groups on increased use of automation and other technology enhancements in businesses processes. • • • •
Soft Skills: interpersonal relations, work habits, teamwork, etc. Basic Skills: general education, literacy, math, reading, etc. Thinking Skills: decision-making, planning, problem solving, supervising, etc. Technical Skills: Computing, machinery, skilled trades, etc. Existing (Incumbent) Workforce Skill Gaps by Category
Training Needed for Future Workforce Skill Gaps by Category
4
Soft Skills
Sociologically-defined as a person’s EQ, or emotional intelligence quotient, soft skills comprise a crucial foundation to complement the occupational skills required in today’s workforce. More than half of local employers sited skills as a leading gap in new job candidates. However, this gap can be most difficult to adjust through traditional training, according to comments expressed in the 2011 survey. Unlike the other three skill categories that indicate a worker’s ability to perform certain tasks or activities, soft skills relate to a person’s ability to interact effectively with coworkers and customers and are broadly applicable both in and outside the workforce. According to George Paaajanen of Technology Based Solutions/Personal Decisions, Inc., screening or training for personal habits or traits such as dependability and conscientiousness can yield significant return on investment for an organization. For this reason, employers increasingly seek out candidates with soft skills in addition to standard qualifications. Training Needs for Soft Skills in Current Workforce
5
Thinking Skills
More than a half of employers surveyed identified specific needs for thinking skills. This category has a deeper requirement beyond basic skill literacy. Strong performance in this category is necessary for workers to advance beyond entry-level task requirements. For job applicants that may not posses experience in the specific activities of an occupation, strong thinking skills typically indicate an employee’s ability to master outcomes in training at the company level. “In a knowledge based economy a talented workforce with communication and critical thinking skills is necessary for organizations and the U.S. to be successful,” noted Susan Meisinger, President and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management.
Training Needs for Thinking Skills in Current Workforce
6
Basic Skills
Basic skills represent the minimum literacy standards often associated with public education systems. Basic skills are closely related as the bridge to more intensive thinking skills from a workforce perspective. For the 2011 survey, several of the basic skill categories were aligned with the math, reading, and locating information skills in the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC). The WorkKeys NCRC assessment is discussed in more detail starting on page 19. English language mastery is important to several local communities and food manufacturing firms given the degree of immigration in the regional workforce. Training Needs for Basic Skills in Current Workforce
7
Technical Skills
Employers list soft skills as their most critical need in the current workforce. However, the technical skills category is expected to overtake soft skills as the most important gap anticipated in the future workforce needs, according to employers surveyed. In addition to examining specific technical skills, the survey probed business leaders on specific types of software training needed to maximize productivity. Basic computer literacy is an important consideration for workers that changed occupations as industry sectors shifted in recent recessions. Without a strong foundation in basic computing, workers faced challenges even re-entering employment without significant tutoring and one-on-one assistance. Training Needs for Technical Skills in Current Workforce
8
Current Workforce Training Needs for Software Tools to Fully Utilize Company Resources
9
HR & Training Trends
The Workforce Investment Board and its network of Career Centers, training programs, and economic development partnerships, are committed to high-quality workforce products. To be successful, this network must be closely aligned with the pulse of employers on specific products and services needed for human resources functions of companies large and small throughout the region. The diagram below represents 33 of the 142 employers surveyed that cited specific demand for HR and training functions.
HR Services & Training Product Demand
10
The survey also probed employers’ preferences for training conducted at their respective companies along with their experiences with the different providers of training and HR products common throughout the region. Preferred Formats for Training
Satisfaction Rankings for Training and Workforce Providers
11
Hiring Trends Employers in the 2011 survey were asked to provide which occupations present the greatest difficulty with filling and retaining, along with positions needed in the next two-tofive year period. The occupations listed by employers were consistent with current and future demand listed in the sector projection reports starting on page 30. The diagrams (at right) demonstrate employers’ perceptions for ease in recruiting both unskilled and skilled positions. Production occupations are high in demand both now and in the future. This category includes titles like production technicians, assemblers, machine operators, welders, laborers, millwrights, and packagers. In a concentration surrounding the immediate Joplin area, some employers noted increasing difficulty recruiting in the manufacturing sector due to increased competition for workers with the jump in the construction and recovery-related jobs following the May 2011 tornado.
Future Ability to Recruit Skilled Labor
Future Ability to Recruit Unskilled Labor
The healthcare sector showed no surprises for continued demand. One of the major growth categories is found in personal caregivers and direct support professionals. While 32 positions were needed among current survey respondents, they projected more than 200 needed within the next five years. Demand for registered nursing continues to outpace licensed practical nursing.
12
Tornado Workforce Impact The May 22, 2011 Joplin tornado left a permanent mark, both negative and positive, on the people of Southwest Missouri. The loss of life and property will always be the greatest impact. The disaster showed the region’s responsiveness and excellence in its recovery and the new opportunities opening up as a result. In the days that followed, workforce and economic development leaders anticipated a loss of up to 4,500 jobs based on the employee counts of businesses in the tornado’s path. Fortunately, those numbers were much lower, possibly 1,500 or less, due to the commitments affected businesses made to retain their employees. Depending on size and structure, employees were re-assigned to other locations or were without work only a short time. Disaster recovery functions brought hundreds of new jobs to the region. Current research tools can’t keep up with studying the new jobs as quickly as they come and evolve in the region. Cleanup and construction labor is the largest sector to experience tornado-related growth. Jobs in direct support, personal care, mental health, and administrative support gained in volume as well. In common with hurricane disasters, the Joplin recovery attracted additional workers from other states. This workforce typically seeks temporary to short-term employment in various recovery and construction. Some may elect to stay in the Joplin long term, but the workers and families new to the area will help ease the competition for skilled labor in a few short-term categories.
Several long-standing local employers noted increased competition for new job applicants as a result of new temporary jobs paying wages higher than average. The Citizens Advisory Recovery Team (CART) has been established to provide the Joplin Area Citizen's with a forum where ideas can be brought to the table, consensus formed and ideas and/or projects can be taken to City Council or other appropriate organizations for consideration. The WIB represents workforce development interests for CART’s Business Retention Task Force with the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce. Beyond the Disaster Recovery Jobs Program (see page 16), the task force adopted two key workforce strategies in partnership with the WIB. Joplin has a strong desire to be among the first of Missouri’s Work Ready Communities (page 22). Training tools, such as the Alchemy SISTEM, were cited in the CART plan to help recovering and expanding keep pace with increasing training needs. As with any major economic expansion or layoff within an industry sector, the resulting wages and commercial activity create shifts in other industry sectors within a local economy. Researchers at the Workforce Investment Board generated an impact analysis to help demonstrate the overall economic impact of new recovery sector jobs. The analysis is based on 1,000 positions specific to residential construction as an example scenario. While not a firm projection overall, the baseline round number helps show the impact of growth on other sectors outside of construction. The multiplier effect would result in 323 additional jobs in other sectors.
13
Economic Impact of 1,000 New Residential Construction Sector Jobs
$51,133,585
1,323
$38,657
Change in Earnings
New Jobs Total
Average Earnings Per Worker
Impact by Industry Sector NAICS Industry
New Jobs
11
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
2
21
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
2
22
Utilities
1
23
Construction
1,017
31-33
Manufacturing
43
42
Wholesale Trade
11
44-45
Retail Trade
56
48-49
Transportation and Warehousing
11
51
Information
4
52
Finance and Insurance
9
53
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
14
54
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
37
55
Management of Companies and Enterprises
3
56
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
29
61
Educational Services
4
62
Health Care and Social Assistance
23
71
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
4
72
Accommodation and Food Services
19
81
Other Services (except Public Administration)
21
90
Government
11
14
Impact by Job Category SOC
Occupation
11-0000
Management occupations
13-0000
Business and financial operations occupations
15-0000
Computer and mathematical science occupations
17-0000
Architecture and engineering occupations
19-0000
New Jobs 186
20
5
14
Life, physical, and social science occupations
2
21-0000
Community and social services occupations
2
23-0000
Legal occupations
2
25-0000
Education, training, and library occupations
8
27-0000
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations
8
29-0000
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
10
31-0000
Healthcare support occupations
5
33-0000
Protective service occupations
2
35-0000
Food preparation and serving related occupations
18
37-0000
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations
21
39-0000
Personal care and service occupations
9
41-0000
Sales and related occupations
71
43-0000
Office and administrative support occupations
85
45-0000
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
1
47-0000
Construction and extraction occupations
747
49-0000
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
41
51-0000
Production occupations
34
53-0000
Transportation and material moving occupations
32
15
Impact to Demographics with New Jobs Change in Jobs
Demographic
15
7
Male 19-21
27
Female 19-21
14
Male 22-24
38
Female 22-24
21
168
85
Male 35-44
192
Female 35-44
107
Male 45-54
215
Female 45-54
119
Male 55-64
136
Female 55-64
80
Male 65-99
70
Female 65-99
29
Male 14-18 Female 14-18
Male 25-34 Female 25-34
Source: Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. Counties for the Impact Analysis include the Southwest Missouri Workforce Investment Area plus adjacent counties in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma: Benton (5007), Cherokee (20021), Crawford (20037), Barry (29009), Barton (29011), Dade (29057), Jasper (29097), Lawrence (29109), McDonald (29119), Newton (29145), Ottawa (40115)
16
Recovery Jobs for the Unemployed
The Missouri Disaster Recovery Jobs Program (DRJP)injected more than $12 million in grant funds to the Workforce Investment Board to employ temporary workers to help in tornado recovery in Joplin and Duquesne. Launched in June, the program employed more than 800 at its peak in October. The majority of jobs include debris removal laborers and supervisors. Several local nonprofit organizations, churches, and local governmental organizations oversee humanitarian positions in a variety of positions for direct and indirect assistance to tornado victims. DRJP plays an important economic development role for the Joplin region. The WIB quickly deployed temporary workers to help in much-needed recovery functions. DRJP helped put hundreds of unemployed individuals back to work. This included the priority group of those displaced directly by the tornado as well as long-term unemployed individuals unable to work before the disaster. Also crucial for big picture recovery, DRJP helped retain workers to the region and ready to work in jobs with firms that re-opened and firms that brought new jobs to the area. This all-important feature of DRJP helped reverse what is commonly referred to as the Katrina Effect, which is the loss of workers and confidence in the region’s economy and recovery after a disaster. The United States Department of Labor funded the grants to the WIB through the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s Division of Workforce Development. The state also deployed DRJP efforts in several other regions of Missouri damaged by flood disasters in 2011. Eligible participants may work up to 1,040 hours under supervision of the worksites. Debris recovery jobs through DRJP are on the decline following major work in the last half of 2011. The WIB anticipates 200-400 workers will be needed for additional recovery projects identified by Joplin and Duquesne city officials. Labor work could include nuisance abatement properties and tree-planting through mid-2012. Humanitarian positions are likely to continue through mid-2013 at a steady rate around 150-200.
17
Joplin Area Worksites Benefitting from DRJP Worksite
Jobs
City of Joplin Americorps City of Duquesne Joplin Family Worship Center Distribution Center Misti’s Mission Distribution Center WIB and Career Center Forest Park Church Distribution Center Joplin Family Y Children of the Storm Project Hope Chest Distribution Center Salvation Army College Heights Distribution Center Rebuild Joplin/Bright Futures Alliance of Southwest Missouri Habitat for Humanity ReStore Catholic Charities State Recovery Resource Center Crosslines Distribution Center American Red Cross Faith Assembly of God Distribution Center Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce Central Christian Center Distribution Missouri Southern State University
236 130 100 35 30 21 15 12 9 9 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1
18
Solutions & Strategies
For businesses looking to solve the puzzle of finding, keeping, and growing the workforce, the WIB’s partnerships offer one of the best comprehensive package of HR services available in Southwest Missouri. Through live and online recruitment of applicants, testing and screening of candidates, and training of the future and current workforce, a talented team of specialists through the Business Solutions Center stands ready to help. The Business Solutions Center is a partnership of the Missouri Career Centers in Joplin and Monett, the WIB, and several value-added education and economic development partnerships throughout the region. Basic services are grant-funded and provided at no charge to eligible employers. This State of the Workforce report highlights several key solutions and strategies that align with workforce needs identified in the 2011 survey. •
• •
•
•
• •
National Career Readiness Certificate: NCRC system to test job applicants, career trainees, and youth in key areas of work readiness such as soft skills, math, reading, and locating information. Employers can go deeper with NCRC screening exclusivity through occupational profiling. Work Ready Communities: Credentialing the workforce of counties and communities to demonstrate work readiness to business investors and rally education and community leaders for workforce readiness. Synergies in Tornado Recovery: Workforce system products and strategies aligned in CART (Citizens Advisory Recovery Team) plans for disaster recovery and economic momentum with jobs program, Work Ready Communities, and Alchemy Training. Youth Strategies: Micro-enterprise initiatives to prepare youth for the workforce and business leadership skills. Career academies emerging in the rebuilding of Joplin High School. Summer youth employment programs. Pre-Employment Work Experience: Workforce programs that reduce risk and increase profitability for employers by preparing job candidates with verifiable work experience before the official hire date. Examples include On-the-Job Training, Try-Out Work Experience for adults changing careers, internships, apprenticeships, etc. Digital Learning: Alchemy SISTEM® for multi-media training. Online learning initiatives for job applicants through the Missouri Career Center. Recruitment Innovations: Online video job interview tools to save time and money in recruitment. Online testing to screen candidates for specific technical skills.
19
National Career Readiness Certificate
The NCRC is made up of a series of assessments specifically designed for employers to determine the work readiness of job candidates. To earn the NCRC, a job candidate must take the proctored assessment and attain a score of three (Bronze level) or higher in Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Information. Job candidates that take the assessments and earn the NCRC will be issued a certificate at either the Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum level. Higher scores indicate more mastery of associated skills. The certificates last for five years and the scores are accessible online. Job seekers who earn the NCRC demonstrate that they have the skills to do the job. Employers can refine the applicant pool, make better job matches, and identify skill gaps to overcome any decreased productivity. Candidates successfully completing the NCRC also show they have the commitment it takes to be part of the team. This results in saving time, saving money, and improving employee retention. There is no cost to eligible employers or job candidates to take any of the assessments or to earn the NCRC through the Missouri Career Center workforce system. All costs are pre-paid through workforce grants. NCRC can be packaged with other recruitment tools through the Career Center, such as application collection, video interviews, and mass-hiring events. Once a business is successfully using NCRC in the hiring process, they may find benefit in Occupational Profiling through the WorkKeys/NCRC system. Certified job profilers spend significant time studying positions in order to develop detailed job descriptions. This allows employers to require (not just request) the NCRC be taken by all job candidates for the profiled positions. There is a cost associated with profiling and training grant funds may assist eligible employers. “(NCRC) testing provides an excellent key to a potential employee’s ability to learn the job and probability of future success.”
“Our selection process has been reduced by 46 days based on the information obtained from these assessments.”
Amber Crook Robertson, SPHR Ceradyne Boron Products Quapaw, OK
Suzanne Baucom, SPHR Bemis Flexibile Packaging Joplin, MO
20
Introducing NCRC-Plus for Soft Skills Screening
Surveys and feedback from employers throughout Southwest Missouri rank Soft Skills as the most critical shortage of our region’s workforce. While several businesses netted great results with the NCRC, the new soft skills component of NCRCPlus further raises the bar. Foundational knowledge and skills related to job tasks are the most valid predictors of work performance. Combining measures of cognitive skills with measures of work-related behaviors—or soft skills—brings even greater accuracy to predictions about an individual’s success at work or in training. In addition to the cognitive skills listed above, the NCRC-Plus ranks individuals in the following soft skills categories: Work Discipline: Productivity and dependability Teamwork: Tolerance, communication, and attitude Customer Service Orientation: Interpersonal skills and perseverance Managerial Potential: Persuasion, enthusiasm, and problem solving The NCRC Plus ranks individuals with 1–4 stars in each of the categories listed above. Higher numbers of stars reflect personal characteristics that indicate stronger inclination for success. Individuals can earn the NCRC-Plus by taking the WorkKeys Talent assessment. Talent Assessments will be available in select locations throughout southwest Missouri by February 2012.
21
Job Profiling
Southwest Missouri has two ACT-certified Profilers: Tresa Wilkins from the Alliance for Business (Crowder/MSSU) and Troy Roland at the WIB. Job profiling is geared to employers needing: • A focus group format that promotes discussion between the employees (job incumbents) and an ACT-authorized job profiler • A task list describing activities of the job with tasks tailored by the employees • A customized Job Profile Report documenting the tasks of the job, skill levels required for the job, and the qualitative reasoning behind the skill levels provided by the job incumbents • Results that can be used to support hiring, promotion, and training decisions Step 1: Creating an Initial Task List The profiler obtains background information about the job to be profiled from the company contact person and a tour of the job site. Using SkillPro®, ACT's proprietary job profiling software, the profiler develops an initial list of the tasks most relevant to the job. Step 2: Task Analysis • The profiler meets with subject matter experts—generally incumbent workers of the job being studied—who review and revise the list of tasks, adding, deleting, consolidating, or changing the wording of each task to make sure that the list accurately represents the job as it is performed in their company. • Then the subject matter experts rate each task according to two dimensions: importance and relative time spent. • The data are used to produce a criticality rating for each task. • The subject matter experts review this revised task list and make any necessary changes. • The resulting final task list establishes which tasks are the most critical to performing the job. Step 3: Skill Analysis • The skills are reviewed one at a time. • Profilers present detailed descriptions of each of the WorkKeys skills to the subject matter experts. • To determine the relevance of the WorkKeys skill to the job, the subject matter experts independently identify the important tasks that require the skill and then discuss the work behaviors that specifically use that skill. • Then the profiler presents detailed descriptions of the WorkKeys skill levels to the subject matter experts. These descriptions include examples of problems or situations employees deal with at each level. • The subject matter experts identify the relevant important tasks that require each skill level and decide which skill levels are necessary at the entry level and for effective performance of their job (i.e., cut or passing scores) Step 4: Documentation The profiler documents the results in a customized Job Profile Report containing a list of the tasks most critical to performance of the job and information on the WorkKeys skills and skill levels required for entry into the job and effective performance of the job. This report establishes the link between the tasks of the job and the WorkKeys skills and skill levels.
22
Work Ready Communities
Work Ready Certified Communities (WRC) blossomed in Oklahoma and Georgia as a key economic development tool. WRC helps rally communities around workforce competitiveness and skill attainment. Southwest Missouri and the Heartland 411 workforce partnerships with neighboring WIBs in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas identified WRC as a key growth strategy in alignment with business, education, and economic development. ACT/WorkKeys recently launched the ACT-Certified Work Ready Communities program to empower counties and states with actionable data and specific workforce goals that drive economic growth. Participating states are leveraging the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), improving high school graduation rates and educating individuals and businesses on the value of an NCRC and community certification. The National Career Readiness Certificate, issued by ACT, is an industry-recognized, portable, evidence-based credential that certifies essential skills needed for workplace success. ACT is leading this national effort and offers a year-long executive training program – the ACT Certified Work Ready Communities Academy – that will lead state teams through a successful start-up and deployment of a statewide Certified Work Ready Community initiative. By participating in ACT’s Certified Work Ready Communities initiative, states are helping: • • • • •
Business and industry know exactly what foundational skills they need for a productive workforce – and to easily communicate their needs Individuals understand what skills are required by employers – and how to prepare themselves for success Policy makers consistently measure the skills gap in a timely manner at the national, state and local levels Educators close the skills gap, via tools integrated into career pathways with stackable industry-recognized credentials Economic developers use an on-demand reporting tool to market the quality of their workforce
Work Ready Communities is a key tornado recovery strategy adopted in the Joplin Citizens Advisory Recovery Committee (CART). Economic Development professionals wholeheartedly endorse the outcomes and benefits of WRC. The WIB assisted state-level officials in preparing Missouri’s application for ACT’s Work Ready Communities Academy.
Criteria for becoming an ACT Certified Work Ready Community Community certification is based primarily on National Career Readiness Certificates (NCRC) earned at the county level – the NCRC is a portable, industryrecognized credential that clearly identifies an individual’s skills in reading for information, applied math and locating information. ACT works in conjunction with participating states to set goals at the county level, and specific targets are based on population and labor force data. In addition to certificates earned among all workforce demographics – everyone in a community who earns an NCRC helps their community become certified – improving high school graduation rates and businesses recognizing the NCRC are also factors. Workforce categories: • Currently employed private or non-profit • Currently employed local, state or federal government • Currently unemployed • High school junior, senior or recent graduate • College student or recent graduate • GED and adult education participant • Current or recent active duty military* * Data will be collected, but specific targets are not part of CWRC criteria
How we “size up” communities Draft county groupings based on 2010 U.S. Census population data… Small/Medium Counties
Up to 99,999
Large Counties Very Large Counties
100,000 – 499,999 500,000 – 999,999
Mega Counties
Over 1,000,000
How we calculate county goals Draft workforce and business goals… Current Workforce
Businesses Engaged
Available Workforce
County Size Private Government Unemployed College GED High School Small/Med
1%
1%
25%
25%
25%
50%
5%
Large
0.5%
0.5%
10%
10%
10%
25%
2.5%
Very Large
0.25%
0.25%
5%
5%
5%
10%
1%
Mega
0.1%
0.1%
2.5%
2.5%
2.5%
5%
0.5%
Plus improvements in high school graduation rate. Workforce percentages represent the target number of NCRC holders in a given county who fall into the specified workforce category. Businesses engaged indicates the number of employers in a given county who recognize, prefer of require the NCRC. High school graduation rates indicate either a minimum threshold or improvement in the public high school graduation rate. Goals will be finalized in conjunction with the first group of participating states and the Advisory Board.
For more information, please visit: http://www.workreadycommunities.org
© 2011 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved. 10/11
24
Youth Strategies
The Voices Youth Program and other youth partnerships with the WIB throughout Southwest Missouri allow innovations in reaching disadvantaged youth with valuable career services and connecting youth with employers. More information on youth workforce services may be found online at www.voicesyouth.com. Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour: Set for March 31, 2012 in Joplin, this large-scale event targets youth interested in small business startup as a sustainable career option. Even if youth do not enter startup businesses, the soft skills imparted in the summit help prepare youth to promote their skills and be attracted by employers. Summer Computer Camps: Launched as a pilot program in June 2011, the three-week academy prepared students with valuable entry-level certifications for Information Technology. Actual computers built in the camp were donated to non-profit organizations through a group enterprise initiative that taught teamwork and corporate citizenship skills to participating youth. State Parks Youth Corps: This partnership with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources provided summer-long paid work experience for youth at Roaring River State Park in Cassville, Prairie State Park in Liberal, and the Truman Birthplace Historic Site in Lamar. Dozens of youth gained soft skills and verifiable work experience while enhancing key tourism assets for the region. Career Academies at Joplin High School: The May 2011 tornado completely destroyed Joplin High School and Franklin Technology Center. While both schools are operational in temporary facilities, a community task force is working on designs for a state-of-the-art career-driven high school campus. The future Joplin High School is destined to be one of the technologicallyadvanced high schools in the nation. The designs of the campus infrastructure and the curriculum are modeled after leading-edge high schools in the nation that build the educational experience toward specific career clusters. As much of the student’s general and specialized curriculum is aligned with specific soft skills, literacy, and technical skills required in the workforce. All students in the Joplin High School model receive a basis of workforce readiness in addition to preparation for advanced study. WIB staff and several WIB business stakeholders are represented in the planning and execution of the new Joplin High School.
25
Pre-Employment Work Experience Programs
One of the key lessons learned in the workforce system from the Joplin tornado recovery is the value of pre-employment work experience. This asset comes in several shapes and sizes. For tornado recovery, hundreds of temporary jobs provided income, skills, and verifiable work experience for hundreds of temporary workers throughout Joplin and Duquesne. The WIB and Career Center hold routine job fairs, testing, and workshops resulting in permanent job placements for the pool of temporary workers. Pre-Employment Work Experience is best utilized in specific instances in which an employee gains orientation and productive work experience at a local employer before the employee’s official hire date. In many cases, this results in a better quality of hire with reduced cost for training as well as a long-term cost savings due to lower turnover rates in the company’s workforce. On-the-Job Training: The name says it all, but the program features a wage reimbursement to employers to give OJT a whole new meaning. The Career Center helps screen eligible candidates for job openings in new or expanding companies. During a pre-determined training period, the WIB reimburses employers for a portion of the wages of the employee. The employee is a permanent hire for the company with stronger performance and reduced risk. Work Experience Program: This try-out employment program pays for wages of temporary employees for a short internship at an employer. WEP participants may be considered in the future applicant pool of the company. The primary benefit to the employer is the development of skills for the overall workforce of the region. Apprenticeships: Longer-term on-the-job training programs are available in certain industry sectors that mix credentialed classroom programs for the permanent hires. Several apprenticeships are under development in the construction sector to help meet the skill and volume demand in Joplin’s rebuilding effort following the May 2011 tornado.
26
Fast-Forward to the Future of Training Success
The Alchemy Training SISTEM® provides a fast-paced, high-energy training platform. SISTEM is interactive with a rich multi-media learning experience that engages trainees beyond traditional means. Rather than flat graphics and dull animations associated with most computer-based training or elearning products, SISTEM presents an on-screen narrator delivering the competencies. What’s different is the interactivity that incorporates simple remote control devices with color-coded buttons, each issued to a specific student for whom all interactions are tracked by an integrated learning management system. The on-screen trainer asks participants questions and tests retention throughout each 1015 minute module. This method assures active, documented participation from all learners. In Southwest Missouri, SISTEM is licensed for job seekers and incumbent workers. Business Solutions staff can help facilitate training at the company location or employers may be trained to operate the SISTEM for check out. For a customized demo, call the WIB at 417-206-1717. SISTEM Content Areas
27
Recruitment Innovations
The Business Solutions Center and the Career Center operate Missouri’s online statewide job portal with live and local customer service. Several basic screening options are available through the Center for online job recruitment. Beyond simple online recruitment, big innovations for employers are found in virtual video job interviews and pre-employment technical assessments. The typical first-round face-to-face interview lasts 30 to 40 minutes. A job-specific Virtual Video Interview (VVI) can be viewed in 5 to 8 minutes. This saves employers time and money as they seek the best matches for job openings. VVIs are recorded offsite at the Career Center or other pre-set location that doesn’t require manning by the employer. Employers can choose from hundreds of questions to customize the job interviews to the position desired. Questions come in several high-demand categories and popular behavioral topics to get the basic foundation needed for effective screening. Candidates can be selected in any number of different ways. They can be referred by the employer to the Career Center, or selected by the Career Center based on pre-approved screening criteria established and pre-approved by the employer. Employers can knock out 5 to 10 interviews in the time it typically takes to screen one interview, thanks to a secure, online viewing system. Interviews can be screened from across town, across the country, or across the world. The system is user-friendly for both employer and job-seeker. Safeguards are built in for increased EEO compliance and the VVI system’s consistency helps reduce legal exposure.
The NCRC assessments available through the Career Center (see page 19) provide a solid foundation for screening in basic literacy and soft skills. A battery of technical skills tests are also available through the Prove-It ® system. In just the past two years, Prove-It assessments were given over 30 million times in 14 languages and in 44 countries to some of the largest and most respected companies around the globe. Now, employers large and small have this available in Southwest Missouri. Prove-It tests include the following categories: • • • •
Accounting Microsoft Office Applications Healthcare Legal Fields
• • • •
Call Center Customer Service Financial Services Industrial Software Systems
28
Additional Background Research & Resources
Industry Sectors Represented in Workforce Survey
Communities Represented
29
Acknowledgements
Partnership Organizations in Workforce Survey Outreach • • • • • • • • • •
Joplin Regional Partnership of Southwest Missouri and Southeast Kansas Empire District Electric Company Tri-State Society for Human Resource Management Tri-State Area Contractors Association EmployerLink of Barry and Lawrence Counties Carthage Chamber of Commerce Cassville Chamber of Commerce Columbus Chamber of Commerce & Columbus Telephone Company Joplin Chamber of Commerce Neosho Chamber of Commerce Workforce Investment Board and the Business Solutions Center 105 N. Range Line Road – P.O. Box 1706 Joplin, MO 64802 (417) 206-1717 www.workforcezone.com
Jasen Jones, Executive Director
[email protected]
Frank Neely, Research Analyst
[email protected]
Leslie Abram, Project Coordinator
[email protected]
Tracey Kelly, Business Representative
[email protected]
Anthony Osborn, Business Representative
[email protected]
Troy Roland, Business Representative
[email protected] Notice of federal sponsorship: This resource is made possible in part by funds from Workforce Investment Act grants through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Alternate formats for non-English speaking individuals are available upon request. The WIB/Missouri Career Center is an equal opportunity employer/program.
30
Industry Sector Five-Year Job Projections
NAICS Code 11A 113 114 115 211 212 213 221 236 237 238 311 312 313 314 315 316 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 339
Description
2012 Jobs
Crop and animal production Forestry and Logging Fishing, Hunting and Trapping Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry Oil and Gas Extraction Mining (except Oil and Gas) Support Activities for Mining Utilities Construction of Buildings Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction Specialty Trade Contractors Food Manufacturing Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing Textile Mills Textile Product Mills Apparel Manufacturing Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing Wood Product Manufacturing Paper Manufacturing Printing and Related Support Activities Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing Chemical Manufacturing Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing Primary Metal Manufacturing Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing Machinery Manufacturing Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing Transportation Equipment Manufacturing Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing Miscellaneous Manufacturing
14,826 102 166 1,828 87 430 53 1,120 4,353 1,632 11,511 15,660 39 16 472 261 457 778 617 1,707 259 960 2,700 544 541 4,553 1,711 1,147
2017 Jobs 13,711 104 180 1,842 102 462 69 1,160 4,722 1,723 12,288 15,471 37 21 509 208 320 788 539 1,687 156 901 2,728 581 572 4,683 1,571 1,275
(1,115) 2 14 14 15 32 16 40 369 91 777 (189) (2) 5 37 (53) (137) 10 (78) (20) (103) (59) 28 37 31 130 (140) 128
2011 Avg. Annual Wage $25,080 $49,995 $12,624 $23,886 $41,425 $45,029 $74,192 $90,010 $46,326 $42,741 $31,620 $42,144 $67,958 $60,886 $53,091 $21,510 $32,280 $33,150 $42,491 $41,442 $107,803 $74,140 $56,159 $43,413 $56,166 $50,978 $52,403 $52,324
2,201
2,073
(128)
$55,079
2,222 3,003 1,058
1,952 2,642 1,128
(270) (361) 70
$51,953 $51,457 $43,127
Change
31
NAICS Code 423 424 425 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 451 452 453 454 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 491 492 493 511 512 515 517 518 519 521 522 523 524 525 531 532 533 541 551 561 562
Description Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores Electronics and Appliance Stores Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers Food and Beverage Stores Health and Personal Care Stores Gasoline Stations Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores Sporting Goods, Hobby, Book, and Music Stores General Merchandise Stores Miscellaneous Store Retailers Nonstore Retailers Air Transportation Rail Transportation Water Transportation Truck Transportation Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation Pipeline Transportation Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation Support Activities for Transportation Postal Service Couriers and Messengers Warehousing and Storage Publishing Industries (except Internet) Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries Broadcasting (except Internet) Telecommunications Data Processing, Hosting and Related Services Other Information Services Monetary Authorities-Central Bank Credit Intermediation and Related Activities Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities Insurance Carriers and Related Activities Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles Real Estate Rental and Leasing Services Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Management of Companies and Enterprises Administrative and Support Services Waste Management and Remediation Services
2012 Jobs
2017 Jobs
Change
4,357 3,049 3,985 4,691 688 933 2,590 3,295 1,766 2,566 2,087 1,251 8,604 3,272 2,958 336 472
