There is growing acknowledgment that technical skills and training are vital to employment prospects in the 21st Century.
The following Huffington Post article by Edie Fraser, CEO of STEMconnector, highlights the growing divide between the skillsets widely found in the labor marketplace and the skillsets increasingly demanded by industry. As Ms. Fraser writes, "We have little to no supply to meet the ever-growing demand. Think of it, in this economy with record unemployment rates, U.S. businesses are unable to fill jobs because of basic skills gaps in the workforce."
A solution to this supply and demand mismatch touted by Ms. Fraser and others is a smarter and more interactive partnership between the public and private spheres. Industry should support and encourage training and educational programs that have a successful track record of developing the skills needed in the modern workforce. In return, school counselors and administrators should be more proactive in soliciting input from industry about how they can tailor their programming to the needs of local employers.
Is this a win-win solution? Share your thoughts below.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/edie-fraser/stem-talent-gap_b_2204037.html