DEFENSE INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP Skill Gap Study Beth Ashman Ninigret Partners February Supported by

Purpose Identify and understand skill gaps affecting firms in Rhode Island’s Defense Sector today and projected in the next five years. Identify skill areas that could contribute to the growth of defense employers in Rhode Island Analysis is inclusive of all occupational groups and all skill areas that contribute to the success of RI Defense businesses. 1

Describe your company’s defense work About the Survey Respondents 2

Are you doing contract work to support the following customers? (check all that apply) About the Survey Respondents 3 67 Respondents

What is the anticipated outlook for the defense portion of your business in Rhode Island in the next five years? Outlook from Survey 4

Critical Skill Gaps 5

1. Number of hires by type Engineers Technicians Skilled production workers 2. Difficulty of filling positions Difficult (many open positions unfilled) Marginal (job searches longer than ideal) Easy (filling open positions quickly) 3. Skill gaps observed in applicant pool Identifying Critical Skill Gaps 6

Entry Level Hiring Projections for the Next Year Mid Level Senior Level 7

How would you describe your company’s ability to find and hire the right talent? Percent difficult or marginal Difficult or Marginal PercentNumber of respondents Other Engineers83%40 Logisticians76%25 Computer or Electrical Engineers74%35 Technicians65%32 Production Workers60%12 Financial & Contract Administration57%24 Business Administration47%22 8

Top Five Critical Skill Gaps by Career 9

How many people do you hire per year in Rhode Island in your company or division? Hiring 10

The Workforce Pipeline 11

26 Defense Employers Support STEM Education 12

Rating Potential Defense Industry Partnership (DIP) Education Efforts Supporting STEM Education 13

What types of cooperative activities would benefit your company with regard to internship programs? Not BeneficialHighly Beneficial Supporting STEM Education 14

Engineering and Computer Science Bachelor’s Degrees Rhode Island Schools and UMass Dartmouth, Engineering and computer science graduates continue to be in high demand while the degree pipeline does not grow. 15 Source: IPEDS database in NSF webcaspar.

Women as a Percent of Select Technology Degrees 16 Associates Bachelor’s Source: IPEDS database in NSF webcaspar. Rhode Island Schools and UMass Dartmouth,

Moving Forward 17

Short Term Professional development for current employees Recruit and train transitioning military personnel Support college engineering programs quality of student experiential learning opportunities collaborative research Collaborative internship program Manufacturing expertise to support the Innovation Economy build a college-level Manufacturing Education in RI Organize to support STEM education increase student interest, preparation, and enrollment Medium Long Term Framework for Action 18

Contact Information Beth Ashman Ninigret Partners (mobile)