Skills that Work V—Employer View!
Introduction
Skills that Work V is the fifth edition of a survey of South Carolina employers conducted over the last 10 years. The first four surveys sought to identify barriers to the availability of a quality workforce. Each survey built upon the work of those before it and each showed gaps between skills and competencies being taught in schools and those actually needed in the workplace. Many of the findings were used to garner support for the passage of the groundbreaking education reform legislation we now call Personal Pathways to Success (Education Economic Development Act, EEDA 2005).
The fifth survey is different. In this survey, businesses were asked to define employee “soft” skills, education levels and types of experience required for any open positions in their organization. They also were asked to provide wages and benefits for those same positions and if they would be willing to participate in extended learning opportunities for students. The survey was funded by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce’s Excellence in Education Foundation and conducted by the Labor Market Information Division at the South Carolina Department of Commerce. The information was gathered from May-August 2008 from 339 businesses representing all sectors, size classes and areas of the state.
The results of Skills that Work V can be of great assistance to students, parents and counselors in matching young minds to promising careers. The state’s educational institutions can use the findings to fine tune their curriculum as they seek to better develop student employability skills. In addition, it also provides insightful information to adult workers and workforce agencies on how to increase the value and employability of the state’s existing workforce.
Executive Summary
Employers emphasized the continued need for “soft” skills. This supports the further implementation of training programs geared toward providing personal interaction and responsibility skills.- Much has been said and written about the importance of small businesses as job generators. The South Carolina Job Market Survey showed almost 60 percent of South Carolina’s open job positions were with small businesses (those with up to 50 workers). This underscores the significance of small businesses to the state’s job market.
- Thirty-eight percent of the reported open job positions required more than a high school diploma or General Education Development (GED), vocational training /associate’s degree 15 percent, bachelor’s or advanced degree 23 percent. As the state’s knowledge base economy continues to evolve, this percentage is expected to increase dramatically.
- Twenty-nine percent of the surveyed businesses said they would be willing to participate in some form of external learning opportunity for students. If the promise of Personal Pathways to Success (EEDA) is to be fully realized, we must find ways to significantly increase this percentage.