3/7/07 Workforce Development

Workforce Skills Discussion

March 7, 2007

Meeting Summary

In attendance:  Graham Cochran, Kristi Lekies, Jeff King, Kathy Cox, Larry Hall, Nadine Fogt, Carol Smathers, Rick McCann, Dave Boulay, Theresa Ferrari, Jerry Thomas

 Online contributors to discussion, not in attendance: Nate Arnett, Beth Bridgeman, and Niki Nestor McNeely.

 Meeting objectives: 

1)      to identify a common language for use in discussing workforce skills in Extension programming

2)      to identify possible next steps for discussion and programming

 The meeting began with a brief overview of why this is an important topic of discussion.  Developing a competent workforce with relevant skills is essential to the Ohio economy.  Recently Ohio’s bond rating was downgraded in part due to the state’s changing economy and financial situation.  The literature indicates that employers want employees who are prepared with the right skills, but workers lack these skills.  The skills important for today’s workforce are relevant for different areas of Extension programming, such as youth development, parenting, and community development. 

Next, there was a brief discussion about the criteria for a good vocabulary about workforce skills.  Being clear and intuitive to internal and external stakeholders, having a reasonable number of categories, being relevant across Extension, being measurable, and being research-based and validated by others were suggested.  The group felt that exact precision would be difficult, and that some ambiguity would be acceptable, as long as the words used were not too vague.  We discussed the difference between conceptual and operational definitions.  The wording should also be helpful to educators for use in their programming.  In addition, the vocabulary should be helpful to more than one audience.

An overview of seven frameworks was presented:

• American Society for Training and Development - ASTD (8 skills)
• Business-Higher Education Forum (9 attributes)
• Partnership for 21^st Century Skills (11 applied skills)
• Entrepreneurship Education
• Levy and Murnane
• SCANS (5 competencies plus 3 foundational skills/attributes)
• Core Integrated Technical and Academic Competencies – ITAC (5 core competences)

The group discussed the frameworks and various aspects they liked and disliked.  A list of key skills was generated:

Leadership                                                                               Upgrading career skills

Teamwork                                                                                Diversity

Effective communication (oral/written)                                     Global awareness

Empathy/interpersonal skills/emotional intelligence                 Learning skills

Problem-solving                                                                        Health and wellness

Thinking—critically, analytically/innovation, creativity               Personal financial responsibility

Professionalism/work ethic/work habits                                   Civic literacy

Self-direction and management                                               Thinking, learning, innovation

Initiative                                                                                   Entrepreneurship

Technology                                                                               Ethics

Adaptability                                                                              Attitude

Being a stakeholder/ownership                                               Science and technology

Managing a career                                                                   Getting and keeping a job

Several other points were made: 

• For the most part, we’re using the same words as we used in 1950, but the outcomes are different. 
• Some of the terms in 1950 had different meanings/implications from what they mean today.  For example, a team in the 1950’s would be much more hierarchical than it would be today. 
• The pace of change is also different—very rapid and exponential. 
• Communication means to impart information, but today we incorporate technology into that communication or use it to facilitate communication. 

The group identified six main categories of workforce skills:

1. Critical thinking

   Problem-solving

   Creativity and innovation

   Using knowledge and facts

2. Communication

   Effective

   Oral and written 

3. Teamwork and leadership

    Interpersonal skills 

4. Lifelong learning and self-direction

    Initiative

    Responsibility 

5. Technology adoption and application 
6. Professionalism and ethics

   Work ethic

These skills will apply to various contexts:

• A global (flat) world
• Entrepreneurship
• Business and work
• Civic
• Families and youth development

The meeting ended with a brief discussion of next steps:

1. The information from the meeting will be posted on Basecamp for additional comments.
2. Rick will take the notes to the March 20 meeting of the School Success program.
3. Potentially use a writeboard on Basecamp to contribute to definitions of categories (have a defined end date like a meeting of the Employment Success group so that KE members could contribute online to something that was dicussed and further refined at the meeting).
4. Rick and Dave will discuss the categories with the Employment Success group for any other ideas, further definition, and buy-in.
5. Group suggested sharing the refined list & definitions (after Employment Success group has contributed) with the Extension Adminstration, Program Team.

Future discussions can include: 

Who is responsible for teaching/building skills?

Program implications

How do we do this in the “real world”?

Linking our vocabulary with SCANS/Ohio Dept. of Ed language so high school students can translate.