New business group aims to close skills gap
JANESVILLE — A new voice will be added this fall to the conversation about why Wisconsin has thousands of unfilled jobs and even more people who can't find work.
Competitive Wisconsin, a statewide business group formed in 1981, plans to release a report in September that will include a set of workforce development recommendations to close the skills gap.
Later this fall, the group will hold four economic summits around the state to highlight the issues and further refine recommendations.
Jim Wood, the group's strategic counsel, said early research indicates that the state has at least 34,000 jobs that employers say they can't fill for several reasons, most notably that candidates don't have the technical skills for jobs in a manufacturing sector that's far more advanced than it's ever been.
In the meantime, he said, more than 120,000 people are struggling to find work and collecting unemployment.
Competitive Wisconsin held a briefing Wednesday at Blackhawk Technical College in advance of the report's release and the upcoming summits.
The group's recommendations will be part of "Be Bold 2," which will be released two years after its "Be Bold: The Wisconsin Prosperity Strategy." The earlier study set the table for many statewide initiatives, including creation of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., Wood said.
Wood noted that Competitive Wisconsin is a new voice in the skills gap discussion. Several other groups have been talking about the issue for some time.
On Tuesday, the former head of Bucyrus International submitted a report on how to improve Wisconsin's workforce.
Tim Sullivan worked on the report after being selected by Gov. Scott Walker as a special consultant and head of business development within his administration.
Sullivan makes a number of recommendations, including calling for the UW System to develop a contract with students that guarantees a degree can be completed within four years. The report also calls for overhauling the state's tax structure to lower property and personal income taxes and recommends increasing collaboration among economic development organizations.
Mike Van Den Bosch, executive director of the Walworth County Economic Development Alliance, said employers in his county say they have more than 500 open positions as the manufacturing economy has transitioned from unskilled labor to skilled employees.
James Otterstein, Rock County's economic development director, said local employers are acutely aware of the skills gap issue. A recent survey of more than 100 companies found that workforce issues are one of the most significant challenges to growth.
He said local efforts are under way to change the stereotypes associated with manufacturing, that it's no longer the "dirty, dark and dangerous" industry sector it once was.
In addition, he said, the message needs to be conveyed to students as early as middle school that technical education is a viable pathway to success because more family-supporting jobs will require education from a technical school rather than a four-year university.
"This needs to be a partnership between businesses, educators, students and their parents," Otterstein said. "We've got to treat it much like a political campaign.
"This is all about awareness and the frequency and consistency of getting the message out there."
This story includes material from The Associated Press.
Aug 24, 2012 at 5:41 p.m.
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To the older generation, I know what you mean. My husband had the same problem and even went back to school to learn a trade, but that didn't seem to help because of his age. Age discrimination is happening all the time even though there is a law against it. Too bad. Us old folks know how to work hard and be loyal. The companies are the ones losing here because they pass us up.
Aug 24, 2012 at 4:13 p.m.
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With a plethora of experience, a BTC degree and exemplary academics (involvments such as club officer, student government and such) and making honors, ageism is a HUGE problem I am unable to overcome but seems to be the main obstical in my job hunt endevors. Not to pat my own back, but I deserve the opportunity not the discrimination I have faced due to being an older worker/potential employee and I feel the employer will pay for the oversight in the inexperience of whom they do happen to hire. Pardon me, please, while I head out to donate plasma for gas money.
Aug 24, 2012 at 10:08 a.m.
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Demanding people have a certain skill set for whatever specific manufacturing you are hiring for means that that employer needs to set up their own training systems. As noted, you'll get turned down time and time again with many BTC degrees without 3-5 years experience. In fact, the same goes for many bachelor degree fields and has been the common curse of the recent grads since I can remember.
Ageism is a huge problem as well these days.
Aug 24, 2012 at 9:06 a.m.
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Well said Lar80.
Aug 23, 2012 at 10:56 p.m.
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Somebody should tell the head of Bucyrus that BTC has been sending program graduates up to them for nearly a decade, with exactly the same certifications that they use in production...
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But Bucyrus won't even give them an interview because they don't have 5 years experience on their resume'
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There are some skills/communication gaps in managements too
Aug 23, 2012 at 9:27 p.m.
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I remember that as a young child I saw a documentary about 'ORT'. Here is their website/timeline page: http://www.ort.org/about-us/ort-history/...
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Until we realize that this lack of skilled labor is akin to other pestilence in our society, we will suffer as a group. When ethnic groups come/came to this country, they band(ed) together to better their group, their community. We seem to cast aside those that can't fit in any more.
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We have school buildings, tech schools, libraries--places that can hold classes in evenings, weekends, summers. We have 'trained individuals', including those from the manufacturing firms who would ultimately supervise new workers, who could come together and put training programs in play. Why can't we come together and develop training for these masses. It's a win-win! It takes a village to continue raising a worker/family. Our community needs to support these training projects, including with what funds we can find.
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The ORT group would take women with children and teach them skills to use sewing machines, looms, etc., while watching their children. Men would work all day in a dead-end job, then take courses at night. It was important to get ahead. It wasn't as important to go to the bar, to the movies, to sit on the sofa and watch reality shows. If you want it bad, you go after it. We need to go after this! What do we need to start? What do I/we need to do to help?
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The ORT website/history: Responding to demands of the workplace now and in the future
"In 1880, the name 'ORT' was coined from the acronym of the Russian words Obshestvo Remeslenofo zemledelcheskofo Truda, meaning The Society for Trades and Agricultural Labour.
"The world has changed somewhat since the days when handicrafts and agriculture were very employable skills, but the basic principles of ORT have remained unchanged for 130 years.
"Today, ORT programmes are geared to the demands of countries and to the demands of the workplace now and in the future."
Aug 23, 2012 at 5:28 p.m.
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Should be interesting to see how there going to teach a 30 year old the skill set of a Man with 30 years experience…
Because there’s the problem..
Employers wont hire the man with the skill set required because he’s “To Old” …
Face it, thats what happens when you try to “Phase Out” the “Baby Boomers” because of age and higher Medical Insurance costs.
You get whatcha got……….
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