Federal, State Workforce Initiatives Emphasize Higher Ed, Employer Involvement
Aligning industry needs with workforce training has gained renewed focus in states and emerged as a national priority. This week, President Obama announced two grant programs totaling $600 million in existing funds that challenge academic institutions and businesses to design job training for the globalized economy and set industry-recognized standards. States are increasingly partnering with community colleges and industry to fill in-demand jobs, and with tight budgets, new efforts in Georgia and North Carolina also aim to enhance worker training by reallocating existing resources or restructuring programs.
DOL, SBA Announce Funding to Support Regional Industries to Compete in Global Economy
The Department of Labor (DOL) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced programs that will provide financial support to help states and regions assist key industries and small businesses compete in the global economy through the development of regionally focused workforce development and export assistance programs.
Skills Shortage Endangers U.S. Manufacturing, According to Study
More than 75 percent of U.S. manufacturers report a moderate to severe shortage of skilled workers, according to a recent study by Accenture and The Manufacturing Institute. While most manufacturers plan to increase their U.S.-based production over the next five years, many report that these plans are being hindered by the lack of skilled, and especially highly-skilled, workers. More than 80 percent perceived that the U.S. has a moderate to severe problem with the availability of highly-skilled labor.
U.S. S&E Graduate Enrollment Steady While Foreign Enrollment Rises, NSF Reports
In 2012, U.S. science and engineering graduate programs saw a small 1.7 percent drop in enrollment by U.S. citizens and permanent residents, according to data from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Enrollment by foreign students, however, rose by 4.3 percent. NSF notes that 2012 is the second year in a row that saw very little increase in citizen enrollment, following five years of growth in the range of 2-3 percent.
LA Lawmakers Challenge Higher Ed to Meet Workforce Needs with $40M Incentive Fund
A project underway between IBM and Louisiana State University’s School of Engineering aims to better meet employer needs by tripling the number of computer science graduates in five years. Hoping to generate more partnerships like these, lawmakers approved legislation supported by Gov. Bobby Jindal that allows colleges and universities to compete for funds in an effort to produce graduates in high-demand areas. A smaller percentage of the funds distributed under the new Workforce and Innovation for a Stronger Economy (WISE) Fund will be based on federally funded research expenditures.
Tech Talkin’ Govs: Part I
Now in its 14th year, SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series has returned as governors across the country formally convene the 2014 legislative sessions. The series highlights new and expanded TBED proposals from governors' State of the State, Budget and Inaugural addresses. The first edition includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Idaho, Kentucky, New York, Virginia, and West Virginia.
JPMorgan Chase Launches $250M Initiative to Bridge Global Skills Gap
JPMorgan Chase & Co recently announced details of a new five-year, $250 million global initiative to address the global skills gap in high-tech industries. The New Skills at Work initiative will help generate accurate data on employer demand at the regional level, and assist workforce training groups in developing effective programs to meet those demands. Operations will focus on major U.S. and European cities, staring with Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, the San Francisco Bay area and London.
Tech Talkin’ Govs: Part II
The second installment of SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Virginia.
Budget Round Up: States Address Higher Ed Affordability, Research Capacity, Workforce
Several common themes surrounding higher education have emerged as governors across the country unveil investment priorities for the upcoming fiscal year or biennium. In many states, governors have proposed more funding to increase affordability by freezing tuition or creating new scholarship funds. Support for expanding research capacity, technology-related infrastructure and job training in high-demand industries are some of the proposed measures aimed at competitiveness.
MI University Research Corridor Leads in Talent Production, According to Report
Michigan’s University Research Corridor (URC), an alliance between the state’s three largest higher education institutions, leads its peer clusters in generating high-tech talent and ranks second overall in innovation activity, according to a report commissioned by URC.
Tech Talkin’ Govs: Part III
The third installment of SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Delaware, Michigan, Missouri and New Mexico.
NY Budget Proposes New Genomic Medicine Network, STEM Scholarship
The FY15 budget proposal outlined last week by Gov. Andrew Cuomo would provide funding to continue many of New York’s innovation-focused efforts while investing in new initiatives, including a genomic medicine network and STEM scholarship program.
FL, LA Govs Challenge Educators to Develop Top-Notch STEM Workforce
Filling the pipeline with skilled workers able to perform the high-tech jobs employers say are sitting vacant has long been advocated by state leaders and policymakers as essential to competing in the global economy. Governors in Florida and Louisiana are stepping up efforts this legislative session with proposed multi-million dollar investments through training and scholarship programs to change the landscape of their states’ workforce.
Mixed Bag for Michigan Talent Initiatives in FY15 Budget
Lawmakers approved funding for a bond program that dedicates $50 million for re-tooling community colleges with the latest equipment, but failed to pass a larger proposal that would allow universities to compete for $100 million in bond funds for capital improvements to enhance engineering programs. The budget also includes $2 million to establish a new fund for global marketing of Michigan’s automotive sector and support of public-private collaborations with the auto industry.
Number of U.S. STEM Graduates Grows, But Workforce Skills Not Keeping Pace with Demand
STEM degrees lead to higher salaries and more employment opportunities than other degrees, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Despite these economic advantages, only 16 percent of 2008 graduates received a STEM degree. The lack of workers with STEM skills has created a difficult hiring environment for many U.S. firms. A recent Brookings Institution study reveals that the lack of STEM graduates has meant that STEM job postings take twice as long to fill as other postings.
President Obama Signs Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
President Barack Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) into law on July 22 – a federal-wide reform effort designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy. WIOA is the first legislative reform in 15 years of the public workforce system.
NGA Announces Support for Workforce Training Efforts in 14 States
The National Governor’s Association (NGA) announced that it will provide grants, technical assistance and opportunities to align education and training systems with private sector needs in 14 states. Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia have been selected to receive support to build industry and education partnerships and optimize their workforce-oriented incentives.
Useful Stats: Science and Engineering Doctorates by Area of Study and by State
A record number of U.S. students received doctorates in 2012, according to new data from the National Science Foundation. For the first time, the number of doctoral recipients broke 50,000, with a final tally of 51,008. Total doctorates awarded grew by 4.3 percent over the previous year, the largest increase since 2007 and a significant improvement from the previous four years in which the numbers remains fairly steady.
European Union Opens $20.5B Funding Round for New Innovation Project
The European Union is investing € 15 billion ($20.5 billion) over the next two years toward the Horizon2020 project, an initiative designed to boost Europe's knowledge-driven economy, increase global competitiveness, and address key societal challenges. The European Commission has declared funding priorities for the project and opened submissions for the 2014 budget.
Recent Research: Customized services are cost-effective economic development tools
Financial incentives for company recruitment and retention still dominate state and local economic development expenditures, but recent research estimates that extension programs and customized job training can accomplish development goals in a more cost-effective manner. Despite this, customized services get, on average, five cents of public investment for every dollar that traditional financial incentive strategies receive.
Financial incentives for company recruitment and retention still dominate state and local economic development expenditures, but recent research estimates that extension programs and customized job training can accomplish development goals in a more cost-effective manner. Despite this, customized services get, on average, five cents of public investment for every dollar that traditional financial incentive strategies receive.
Some experts remain skeptical of the ‘skills gap,’ both sides of debate agree on solutions
In 2016, a study – Skill Demands and Mismatch in U.S.
In 2016, a study – Skill Demands and Mismatch in U.S. Manufacturing – found that approximately 75 percent of manufacturers showed no signs of hiring difficulties. This study and others (including a 2015 study from Iowa State University) are reigniting a long held economic development debate over the ‘skills gap’ – a contention that there is a mismatch between the abilities employers seek in candidates and the capabilities of workers developed by the educational/workforce development systems. Challenging the conventional wisdom put forth by employers, pundits, and policymakers, these studies seem to indicate that the problem does not lie with the U.S. workforce development and educational system. Instead, the problem stems from two primary issues at the firm level:
- A lack of employer-sponsored training; and,
- A lack of competitive wages.
Shifting nature of careers and skills
Creative, digital, design and engineering occupations all have bright outlooks, along with architectural and green occupations, according to a recent report from Nesta, a global innovation foundation. Nesta took into account five major trends in mapping out how employment is likely to change in the future, and the implications for skills.
Fed initiative to reimagine, reframe workforce development efforts
The Federal Reserve System has announced a new initiative intended to invest in America’s workforce and improve outcomes for both employers and workers.
The Federal Reserve System has announced a new initiative intended to invest in America’s workforce and improve outcomes for both employers and workers. To introduce the Investing in America’s Workforce initiative, the System released a new report analyzing information from nearly 1,000 leaders in the field to identify the current state of the field, important challenges, and strategies for improving items such as human capital, access to jobs, and innovative funding for workforce development programs.
States of Innovation 2017: Free tuition moving into more state toolboxes
This week we continue our series on state legislation pertaining to the innovation economy that has been enacted this year around the country. This second installment of the States of Innovation 2017 series deals with free tuition.
This week we continue our series on state legislation pertaining to the innovation economy that has been enacted this year around the country. This second installment of the States of Innovation 2017 series deals with free tuition.
A number of states took action to increase the education and skills of their workforce by implementing free or greatly reduced tuition programs at either community colleges or state colleges. The move to increase access to higher education while not new, took up increased urgency this year. With Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Tennessee all taking action this past year, Maine and North Carolina were among others considering other options but as of today’s publication not moving the proposals forward.
Digital skills imperative in changing nature of workforce
Two recent reports detail the changing nature of jobs and highlight the importance of digital skills for the workforce. To guard against a greater income divide and ensure a competitive workforce, the studies — one from Brookings and the other from the McKinsey Global Institute — outline policy prescriptions that may ease the transition.