Demographics & Workforce Group VACTEA September 2010 Weldon Cooper Center University of Virginia Virginia’s New Workplace Readiness Skills

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Workplace Readiness: A Moving Target CTE aims to give students the skills to succeed in the workplace, but this is a moving target. A 1950s education won’t prepare students for a 21st century occupation.

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Research Keeps CTE Up to Date 1997 Led to the creation of Virginia’s first Workplace Readiness Skills List New national research inspired this revision

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia The Most Important National Research What skills are necessary for success in the workplace of the 21st century? Are They Really Ready to Work (commissioned by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills)

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Academic & Applied Skills While the “three Rs” are fundamental to any new workforce entrant’s ability to do the job, employers emphasize that applied skills like Teamwork/Collaboration and Critical Thinking are “very important” to success at work.

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia “Very Important Skills” for HS Graduates Percent Ranking Skills as “Very Important” for High School Graduates Source: Are They Really Ready for Work, 2006

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Most CTE graduates go to college What skills do they need? Source: CTE Completer Follow-Up Survey

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia “Very Important Skills” for College Graduates Percent Rating Skills as “Very Important” for College Graduates Source: Are They Really Ready for Work, 2006

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Most Valuable Applied Skills Source: Are They Really Ready to Work?

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Where Students are Deficient Source: Are They Really Ready to Work?

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Why Do Academic Skills Have Lower Ratings? Because they are usually job specific

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Most Applied Skills Are Universally Needed Integrity Critical Thinking Work ethic Time management Health & Safety Conflict Resolution

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Employers Want Schools to Teach WRS Who Should Be Responsible for Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills? Source: Are They Really Ready for Work, 2006

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Why teach these skills in school? Opportunities for work experience are decreasing. The recession has cut job opportunities for youth. Structural change in the labor market means a tough teen job market is here to stay.

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Teen Employment is Now the Lowest Since WWII Source: Andrew Sum, Collapse of the Nation’s Labor Market for Teens, 2009

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Low-Income Teens Have Less Work Experience Source: Andrew Sum, Collapse of the Nation’s Labor Market for Teens, 2009

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia How Virginia is Addressing WRS 1997 WRS 1. Reading 2. Mathematics 3. Writing 4. Speaking & Listening 5. Computer Literacy 6. Reasoning, Problem Solving, Decision Making 7. Understanding the Big Picture 8. Work Ethic 9. Positive Attitude 10. Independence and Initiative 11. Self-presentation 12. Satisfactory Attendance 13. Teamwork Virginia’s first list of WRS was introduced in Research began in 2008 on the new list, introduced in 2010.

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Revision Was a Team Effort Demographics & Workforce

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Building a New Skills List, Step by Step 1. Review national research; 2. Review other state and national WRS initiatives; 3. Crosswalk & compare existing WRS list to list from other states and other research initiatives; 4.Develop a draft list of 21 skills for review by Virginia employers.

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Essential, Useful, Optional More than 300 Employers: Rated each draft skill; Offered open-ended comments on the skills they need. Percent of Employers Rating Skills as “Essential” 1Positive Work Ethic96% 2Speaking & Listening96% 3Professional Ethics95% 4Participates As A Team Member89% 5Reading & Writing89% 6Diversity Awareness82% 7Reasoning, Problem-Solving, & Decision-Making76% 8Technology Applications68% 9Understanding Health, Wellness, & Safety67% 10Understands The Big Picture64% 11Lifelong Learning63% 12Job Acquisition & Advancement60% 13Telecommunications58% 14Internet Use & Safety58% 15Creativity, Innovation, & Adaptability57% 16Leadership & Resource Management54% 17Research & Synthesis53% 18Applying & Understanding Mathematics51% 19Data & File-Management50% 20Computer Hardware Basics34% 21Employment-Related Financial Literacy34% Virginia employers participated in an online comment process

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Professional Knowledge & Skills Personal Qualities & People Skills Positive Work Ethic Integrity Teamwork Self Representation Diversity awareness Professional ethics Conflict Resolution Creativity & Resourcefulness Technology Knowledge & Skills Speaking & Listening Reading & Writing Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Health & Safety Organizations, Systems, & Climates Lifelong Learning Job Acquisition & Advancement Time, Task, & Resource Management Mathematics Customer Service Job Specific Technologies Information Technology Internet Use & Security Telecommunications Final Workplace Readiness Skills List

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia Virginia’s CTE Resource Center

The New List Is Finished. Now What?  Introduced to the CTE Advisory Committee and CTE administrators across the state, April 2010  Converted skills list into appropriate format for Virginia’s CTE curriculum, Spring 2010  (Skills become “tasks” with task definitions to amplify and describe the skills.)  Researched and developed instructional resources to complement all WRS tasks, Spring 2010  Introduced statewide in a Verso message, June 1, 2010, for implementation 2010 – 2011

Implementing the New WRS in the Classroom: What This Means for Teachers  The 21 skills now appear as the first 21 tasks in every CTE course in Verso.Verso  These skills are marked “essential” and must be taught.  Just like the course-specific tasks, each WRS has a task definition and related SOL.  Each task number is linked to a variety of instructional resources that have been combined from many sources.

Use and Infuse Crosswalking course tasks/competencies to the new WRS  Teachers should look for tasks that might already cover a WRS.  For example, teaching a task similar to “Explore career and college options for life-long learning” most likely also addresses WRS # 13 and 14.  When teaching and evaluating a student’s performance on this course-specific task, the teacher may also be able to document his or her performance on these two WRS.

If teachers are not already addressing all of the WRS somewhere in their courses... They should use the many WRS resources have provided within the course framework, including  background information  instructional activities  lesson plans  Web sites. Web sites

Evaluating Student Performance Just as in the task list, the New WRS also appear in the student competency record as the first 21 tasks. student competency record The New WRS will soon have a new industry credential.  They are all marked “essential” and must be taught and rated.  A new Virginia-specific test is being developed now and will be ready for use in the spring semester  It will stand alone as a certification (the current version has to be combined with another test to count).

In Summary... The New Workplace Readiness Skills for the Commonwealth  are well researched  are up to date  are reflective of Virginia employer needs  are incorporated into all CTE courses  come with many teaching resources  will have a new industry credential.

Questions? Achsah Carrier Demographics & Workforce Group Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service University of Virginia Peggy Watson CTE Resource Center

DEMOGRAPHICS & WORKFORCE GROUP, WELDON COOPER CENTER University of Virginia 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 Eisen, Phyllis, Jerry J. Jasinowski, and Richard Kleinert Skills Gap Report- A Survey of the American Manufacturing Workforce. Deloitte Development, Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Framework for 21st Century Learning The Society for Human Resource Management and WSJ.com/Careers. Critical Skills Needs and Resources for the Changing Workplace Sum, Andrew. “The Collapse of the Nation’s Labor Market for Teens and Young Adults (20-24): Designing A Set of Workforce Development Strategies to Improve the Immediate and Long-Term Employment Prospects of the Nation’s Youth.” Center for Labor Market Studies Northeastern University, 2009.