The Coming Workforce Crisis and How We Can Prepare

Wisconsin’s Aging Population

Aging Population Leads to Looming Shortfalls in Wisconsin’s Business/Industry Sectors

Employers Want Skills Ninety percent of employers in manufacturing, regardless of company size, industry, or location, face a moderate to severe shortage of qualified skilled production employees, such as machinists and technicians. More than half of the employers surveyed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce considered it hard or very hard to find qualified workers to fill job openings, even in the midst of a slow economy. Workers Need Skills In the US, over the last generation, pay-off to college has grown substantially. Wisconsinites with college credentials have seen wages increase steadily; those with less education are falling behind. Research done in the state of Washington identified the Tipping Point – a year of post-secondary education culminating in a credential.

Interventions that have significant impact: -- Where possible, change a status quo degree into a stack of employer-valued credentials that are easier for adults to access and complete – Create Career Pathways! -- Support student success through integration of key academic content with other (usually occupational) courses – Create Career Pathway Bridges!

Wisconsin Career Pathways Model

services/instructional-activities

Below Postsecondary Postsecondary 1 year 2 years Machine Tool Operator Diploma Advanced Manufacturing AA Degree CNC Programmer CNC Set-up CNC Operator A Quick Review Of A General Career Pathway Model And How Integrated Curriculum And Team Teaching Can Make It More Successful 3 credits of high-level ABE/ELL coordinated with the first certificate

Postsecondary Manufacturing Math 1 Manufacturing Math 1 – 1 Credit Blueprint Reading – 1 Credit Measurement and Inspection – 1 Credit Introduction to Machining – 1 Credit CNC Production Lathe: Operation – 1 Credit CNC Production Mill: Operation – 1 Credit ABE Math (CNC Pathway) NRS Credits ABE/ELL Reading and Study Skills – 1 Credit Close-up of the first certificate of the previous slide’s pathway (6 credits postsecondary and 3 credits basic skills closely integrated) Below Postsecondary CNC Programmer, 6 credits CNC Set-up, 6 credits CNC Operator, 6 credits Next Steps in Pathway

More information: Case Studies on Five Bridges in Wisconsin –Building Bridges in Wisconsin: Connecting Working Adults with College Credentials and Career Advancement Jessa Lewis Valentine, Adrienne Pagac, COWS, May 2010, at Integrated ABE/ELL/Occupational Teacher and Student Interviews –Welding –Instructional Assistant (online) –Culinary Arts Overview of Wisconsin Career Pathways and Career Pathway Bridges