1 virginia employers speak more than 300 employers: rated 21 different skills; submitted comments;...

1

Virginia Employers Speak

More than 300 Employers:

•Rated 21 different skills;

•Submitted comments;

•Offered recommendations.

Responses confirm national

surveys.

Skills Rated “Essential”

1 Positive Work Ethic 96%

2 Speaking & Listening 96%

3 Professional Ethics 95%

4 Teamwork 89%

5 Reading & Writing 89%

6 Diversity Awareness 82%

7 Reasoning/Problem Solving 76%

8 Technology Applications 68%

9 Health, Wellness, & Safety 67%

10 Understanding the Big Picture 64%

2

Finalizing Virginia’s Skills List

A final skill list was created in thelight of:

• Employer comments;

• Current Career andTechnical Educationcurriculum.

3

Virginia’s Skills Include

Personal Qualities & People Skills

Professional Knowledge & Skills

Technology Knowledge & Skills

4

Personal Qualities & People Skills

5

1. Positive Work Ethic

2. Integrity

3. Teamwork

4. Self-Representation

5. Diversity Awareness

6. Conflict Resolution

7. Creativity and Resourcefulness

Professional Knowledge & Skills

6

8. Speaking and Listening

9. Reading and Writing

10. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

11. Health and Safety

12. Organizations, Systems, and Climates

13. Lifelong Learning

14. Job Acquisition and Advancement

15. Time, Task, Resource Management

16. Mathematics

17. Customer Service

Technology Knowledge & Skills

18. Job-Specific Technologies

19. Information Technology

20. Internet Use and Security

21. Telecommunications

7

Virginia Workplace Readiness Skills Are:

•Targeted to the needs of the

modern workplace;

•Based on 25 years of local and

national research and experience;

•Attuned to the CTE curriculum.

8

9

Employers Have A Role to Play

Achsah Carrier

Demographics & Workforce GroupWeldon Cooper Center for Public Service

University of Virginia

434-982-5582Achsah.Carrier@virginia.edu

www.coopercenter.org/demographics

10

References

Casner-Lotto, Jill and Barrington L. Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers' Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce. Society for Human Resource Management, in collaboration with The Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. 2006.

Martin, Julia, Achsah Carrier, and Elizabeth Hill. Virginia’s Changing Workplace: Employers Speak. Weldon Cooper Center. 1996.

Martin, Julia, Donna Tolson. Changing Job Skills in Virginia. Tayloe Murphy Institute. 1985.

Morisi ,Theresa. “The Early 2000s: A Period of Declining Teen Summer Employment Rates.” Monthly Labor Review. May 2010, 23-35.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Framework for 21st Century Learning. 2009.

Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills. What Work Requires of Schools. SCANS. 1991.

Sum, Andrew, et al., Vanishing Work Among U.S. Teens, 2000-10: What A Difference a Decade Makes! Four Million Missing Workers in June 2010. Prepared for the Charles S. Mott Foundation. July 2010.

11