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In what is argubly one of the most pressing issues in our society, our friends over at the Bamboo Project have taken on on why the U.S. is falling behind in preparing math and science workers for the future.
Entitled "How Do We Learn in the 21st Century?" the article tackles the real "root causes" that are defining how we're trying to deal with this issue. It's a great article, with plenty of backup information. Check it out.
An article by the same title recently appeared in Management-Issues, and discussed an insightful paper by Erika Andersen entitled Growing Great New Managers. Andersen paints a picture that is unfortunately too representative of how managers get "developed" into their roles.
The article provides a metaphor: Imagine, for a moment, that you've been put on an island and handed a sack of rice, some vegetable plants, and a chicken. "Good luck," says the person who brought you there. "You'll be responsible for growing your own food now; I know you've never done that before, but I have every faith in your ability." Then he gets in the boat and leaves, merrily waving goodbye.
If you're in management, does this sound familiar? Check out the article and related material. It's an excellent piece on what's messed up and right about management development today.
“This is not something that tomorrow, all of a sudden, will show up in the headlines. This is a slow effect of changing demographics that is absolutely predictable but with profound implications… "
Consider these comments by David Ellwood, Dean of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Citing an article by J. Barrett, “An impending work crisis.” that first appeared in Newsweek. September 20, 2002.
What becomes increasingly apparent is that there are not enough workers to backfill the expected number of baby-boomers that will be retiring over the next 5-10 years.
This affects all workers at every level of the US workforce. For example - 19% of the entire American workforce holding executive, administrative and managerial positions will retire in the next five years.
It's not just the US - the aging workforce also affects the global workforce in major ways:
Thus, we have a "perfect storm" developing. If we pay attention to what's happening. Accordingly, we can expect the "war for talent" to worsen, not get easier.
Here are some ideas that will help businesses survive thhe difficult period ahead:
Because this is not something that tomorrow, all of a sudden, will show up in the headlines, but an ongoing threat that becomes more ominous over time, we must be prepared in advance.
------
Sources: Beazley, et. al, Continuity Management, Mackay, Alan. “Mature Age Workers: Sustaining Out Future Labor Force.” An Ageless Workforce - Opportunities for Business' Symposium Conference Paper. August 27, 2003. www.ageing.health.gov.au/ofoa/wllplan/aawpapers.htm, Time to act quickly on aging.” The Japan Times Online. August 23, 2002 www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?ed20020823a1.htm, A. Paulli, “Pension systems and gradual retirement in Italy”, September 2000, p.17
With the competition for talented workers increasingly fierce, businesses across the nation are becoming ever more creative in their efforts to impress prospects.
Rusty Weston the head honcho over at the My Global Career blog has provided a great article that cuts through the BS and provides some great insight iunto what's really happening in the engineering workforce in the US. His article, entitled Which Cyberstate Are You Living In? examines the labor shortage in engineering from a couple of different angles.
One part I liked in particular was the introduction in which he states:
The immigration debate is expected to heat up again with the release this week of an employment report showing that the U.S. engineering workforce is almost fully employed. The data runs contrary to the views of pundits who contend that low-wage-paying countries are eating our lunch in high-tech.
The Cyberstates report released this week by the by the American Electronics Association shows that the national unemployment rate for engineers is under 2 percent.
That seems to say a lot, for 2% may as well be no unemployment. But then Economist Jared Bernstein with the Economic Policy Institute in Washington D.C, told The San Francisco Chronicle that there is no labor shortage crisis that should drive Congress to raise the caps on H-1B visas granted each year to foreign workers.
Barb, a reader, jumps in with "The reason that it looks like our engineering workforce is fully employed is that two very large groups are not being counted in this calculation: a) those who were driven out of engineering professions in the last 7 years and are doing some other work or gave up, and b) those who are grossly underemployed, working below the level of income and responsibility they would have been able to expect otherwise. Count those, and the numbers are dire. So, we definitely don’t need to raise the H-1b cap, we merely need to recover and redeploy our native talent who got battered in the last few years."
So while debate rages on the political front, firms looking for engineers become increasingly frustrated.
Meanwhile, there are many great eLearning resources for developing your engineering talent. Click here to link to Google Search to help you identify the top sources for online continuing education for engineers.
Also, while I'm on the subject, don't you think it's about time our legislators got on the same page with the businesses in the US?
A Robert Half survey of accounting professionals indicates that while the majority of respondents think employers should look internally before recruiting from overseas, interestingly 21% believe their employers are looking to hire overseas workers as a way to satisfy the skills gap and enhance internal capabilities.
Do you want your company to be a great place to work? Do you want to have engaged employees who perform year in and year out? On May 23, B21 will conduct an audio conference entitled, "Becoming a Great Place to Work: What It Really Takes."
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Fortune magazine's most recent edition covers the Top 100 Best Companies to Work For. Not surprisingly, the winner was Google. While few companies (or firms) can even dream about the levels of perks that Google offers, there are some simple things we can do to make our companies better places to work.
How many productive hours do you expect your people to work in a day? Rather, how many required hours do the person has to work? This depends on the labor law of the country but for my insight I will use the standard 8 hours we have from where I come from.
At a few companies on the leading edge, you can arrange extra time off, set your own hours or even get a cheaper mortgage. Plus, see what the majority of us can expect.
Ever year it seems that companies complain more about their retention problems, but perhaps the problem is that they aren't loyal to employees, so employees aren't loyal to them - and the policies they do put in place are often intended more to handcuff employees to the company, rather than to help employees.
The
government’s inflation numbers, along with other economic statistics it
issues, are being manipulated to make it appear that the U.S. economy is
doing better than it actually is and to limit Social Security and other
benefits tied to the Consumer Price Index. The prices of particular goods and services included in the CPI are
subject to "hedonic" adjustments based on changes in quality as
determined by government bureaucrats. Such adjustments often cause
inflation to be understated, inflation-adjusted gross domestic product
and other measures of economic output to be overstated, and wages,
pensions, and Social Security payments tied to the index to lag behind
the actual cost of living. Mortgage interest and other costs of home ownership are left out of
the index completely, on grounds that an owned home is an "investment."
Instead, an "equivalent rent" component is included in the index—making
up 30 percent of the core CPI—based on surveys of rental costs in
various parts of the country. This provides an additional way for the government to
understate inflation and continue to report positive economic news. In recent years, for example, the real-estate
bubble has caused home prices to rise sharply along with a burst of new
home construction, putting downward pressure on rents. The result has
been to understate the housing cost component of the CPI and the index
as a whole. SO wen you hear that the CPI inflation rate is low, remember that the government's CPI (Consumer Price Index) numbers, exclude food, housing, and energy.
Design News has released their annual Engineering Salary Survey. The survey results show low turnover, an average salary of $73,000, and an average 3% salary increase. Survey takers also responded that they're performing a wider range of job functions than in the past.
Bronwyn Mauldin, a colleague over at Workforce Developments recently produced a great piece "Podcast from the CWA blogging workshop" that gets into the "meat" of how blogs can be used effectively to enhance workforce development. Besides the mp3 you can download (approx 1 hour play time), there are handouts and discussion materials on a linked page containing materials to help you start your blog.
Use of blogging to help spur new workforce development initiatives is just starting to take off.
Also check out the comments foe important details including those from Michelle Martin who runs the Bamboo Project, an important initiative that I've referenced previously on this "workforce development"
According to results of the latest global Workforce Profile, the more valuable employee is one who can grow and learn as the business changes.
Soft skills “are as important, if not more important, than traditional hard skills to an employer looking to hire — regardless of industry or job type. This could offer a major breakthrough as educators and training providers seek to develop and cluster training courses to fit business and industry needs.”
Top 60 soft skills:
The Workforce Profile defined about 60 “soft skills”, which employers seek. They are applicable to any field of work, according to the study, and are the “personal traits and skills that employers state are the most important when selecting employees for jobs of any type.”
1. Math.
2. Safety.
3. Courtesy.
4. Honesty.
5. Grammar.
6. Reliability.
7. Flexibility.
8. Team skills.
9. Eye contact.
10. Cooperation.
11. Adaptability.
12. Follow rules.
13. Self-directed.
14 Good attitude.
15. Writing skills.
16. Driver’s license.
17. Dependability.
18. Advanced math.
19. Self-supervising.
20. Good references.
21. Being drug free.
22. Good attendance.
23. Personal energy.
24. Work experience.
25. Ability to measure.
26. Personal integrity.
27. Good work history.
28. Positive work ethic.
29. Interpersonal skills.
30. Motivational skills.
31. Valuing education.
32. Personal chemistry.
33. Willingness to learn.
34. Common sense.
35. Critical thinking skills.
36. Knowledge of fractions.
37. Reporting to work on time.
38. Use of rulers and calculators.
39. Good personal appearance.
40. Wanting to do a good job.
41. Basic spelling and grammar.
42. Reading and comprehension.
43. Ability to follow regulations.
44. Willingness to be accountable.
45. Ability to fill out a job application.
46. Ability to make production quotas.
47. Basic manufacturing skills training.
48. Awareness of how business works.
49. Staying on the job until it is finished.
50. Ability to read and follow instructions.
51. Willingness to work second and third shifts.
52. Caring about seeing the company succeed.
53. Understanding what the world is all about.
54. Ability to listen and document what you have heard.
55. Commitment to continued training and learning.
56. Willingness to take instruction and responsibility.
57. Ability to relate to coworkers in a close environment.
58. Not expecting to become a supervisor in the first six months.
59. Willingness to be a good worker and go beyond the traditional eight-hour day.
60. Communication skills with public, fellow employees, supervisors, and customers.
The high turnover rate for
chief financial officers isn’t likely to change anytime soon, and based on a
recent survey of CFOs by audit firm Grant Thornton, few companies have plans to
deal with it.
The national survey of 134
CFOs and senior finance executives found that nearly one-third of the
respondents planned on retiring or leaving their companies in the next three
years. Somewhat alarming to Grant Thornton CEO Edward Nusbaum was the fact that
three-quarters of the executives surveyed said their companies did not have
established succession plans for the key post.
“No one wins if you’re
caught off guard by the departure of your CFO,” Nusbaum said in an e-mail.
“Companies will want to bring renewed focus to the pivotal role of CFO, and if
they don’t have a succession plan, begin to put one in place.”
The survey included several
interesting findings on career and compensation questions:
The world's oldest continuously operating family business ended its impressive run last year. Japanese temple builder Kongo Gumi, in operation under the founders' descendants since 578, succumbed to excess debt and an unfavorable business climate in 2006. The skills you need today to run a business are far different than what worked even 10 years ago
Our colleagues over at Management-Issues always provide insight into the most compelling issues in todays workplace. A recent article, entitled "Is there an upside to assholes" cited the contentious question posed in a thought-provoking manifesto
by Robert Sutton, a professor of Management Science and Engineering at
Stanford Engineering School and author of (the excellent) The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't (Warner, 2007).
The article discusses the unfortunate truth, Sutton concludes, is that, yes, there are advantages to acting like an asshole (just ask such famous assholes as Steve Jobs of Apple). As sad as that is, it reminds me of a time when I as a typical precocious and somewhat rebellious teenager was confronted by my Dad who hit me with "Even though you're acting like a total asshole, I don't want you to think you're completely useless." I couldn't believe in the middle of this verbal attack that he was actually making a supportive statement. It didn't last however as he continued: "You can always serve as a terrible example to others." So, I discovered that being an asshole did in fact have a redeeming side to it.
Unfortunately, Sutton didn't appear to cover THAT specific aspect in his book. Sad.
Walter Derzko a noted strategist and futurist has made some significant contributions in the area of Workforce Development. His Smart Economy blog recently published a piece entitled US businesses not prepared for aging workforce 07-089
His article cites "Despite reports that the U.S. faces a shortage of millions of workers within the coming decade as baby boomers retire-taking with them years of experience, talent and expertise and leaving fewer new workers available to take their place-The National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development, conducted by the Boston College Center on Aging and Work, (previously cited in my blog) found that many U.S. businesses are unprepared for changing workforce demographics."
This is really an insightful piece that shows a great deal of depth. Check it out. It's well written and concise. If this area is of interest to you, you'll find Mr Derzko's piece enlightening.
The AEC Sector blog which provides timely information and news on architecture, engineering and
construction topics
posted an article entitled "Why Some Mediations Fail."
While most mediations result in a settlement, some do not. A major
cause of a failed mediation is that the participants approach mediation
as informal, adversarial litigation. A party or attorney acting in this
manner will address his or her remarks solely to the mediator, as if
the mediator were a judge. Despite the mediator's efforts, the party
refuses to have a dialogue with the opposing party and does not make a
good faith effort to engage in settlement discussions. The mediation
fails because the mediation process has never actually begun.
The post cites a number of online courses available from online education provider RedVector that can help people enhance their skills in this critical area.
At the end of the article, the author provides links to three excellent online resources:
It's definitely important to check this out, as mediation skills are essential, not just in Construction but in ANY profession.
Christian Conte writing for the Jacksonville Business Journal tells a familiar story - construction companies are desperate for workers, and despite local efforts by businesses and industry groups the problem is likely to get worse before it improves. There are about 24,000 vacant construction jobs in FL alone and few takers.
As the labor market tightens, employers are going to ever greater lengths to lure top performers. How aggressive are you willing to get? An article by Scott Westcott over at Inc provides some key clues and suggestions.
The Bamboo Project does a great job educating on some of the finer points of management and organization development.
There is a "golden nugget" contained within a recent article entitled: "Creating a Learning Climate for Nonprofit Staff" that includes an insightful excerpt:
An expectation that learning is something that happens on a daily basis on "company time."
If learning is going to be part of an organizational culture, than it has to be woven into its fabric.Learning shouldn't be reserved for special training days. And it shouldn't be something that we expect always expect staff to do on their own time.
My favorite organizations are those that have subscriptions to professional journals and pass them around the office with the expectation that staff will read them. My favorite bosses have always sent interesting articles my way. In a good learning organization, at the end of the day, not only should we be asking "What did you accomplish?" but we should also be wondering "What did you learn?" If the answer is "nothing," then we have a problem.
Thus selecting education sources that don't provide a way of measuring "competency" may not be the best financial or organizational option for you. Many excellent programs are available that do this. Here's a link you can take to an online training program provider that offers a free evaluation module.
The good folks over at Opportunity at Work, have a great reputation for providing well thought through and clearly presented information about today's workplace based upon the conviction that economic and productivity growth fairly shared is essential to our Nation's continued progress. They are a division of the Center for Law and Social Policy is a national nonprofit that works to improve the lives of low-income people. Unfortunately in our society there are people that are skilled and unskilled that fall into this category, as the costs of being in the workforce increase beyond that of wage growth. And it looks like a few thousand more are being added to the list.
A post this week entitled Circuit City Chooses the Low Road describes a situation that unfortunately is not uncommon. You may have read this widely publicized article about how Circuit City has chosen massive layoffs that will in effect result in displacing knowledgable skilled workers with lesser skilled or unskilled labor. In the piece cited, "Circuit City announced yesterday" that it is laying off approximately 3,400 store associates. According to the company, the layoffs are targeted at employees who “were paid well above the market-based salary range for their role.” Based on reports from workers, it appears that they simply established a cut-off wage for each department and are laying off anyone who earned above it. This means that they are getting rid of their most experienced workers and those who have received performance-based wage increases in the past.
Does anybody join me in seeing the apparent insanity of this move? Do you want to go to any business where you will be shelling out hundreds to thousands of dollars for a purchase, and have to deal with someone who is not knowledgeable, articulate and able to comprehend the increasingly complex sets of requirements and choices that must be considered. If the company representative cannot answer these types of questions, why would you buy from an operation like this when there are firms who recognize that a knowledgeable person is worth their weight in gold.
I know of many large Fortune sized firms and smaller firms that have taken this approach, and saw their businesses suffer, and saw their market share decrease. Has "common sense" left the building?
Our friends over at Workforce Developments recently posted an insightful article called "Podcasting for career development." This article sheds new light on an increasingly popular way of delivering information to learners.
If you aren't familiar with this area, Wikipedia describes Podcasting this way:
A podcast is a digital media file (or a series of such files) that is distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds, for playback on portable media players and personal computers.[1] Like 'radio', it can mean either the content itself or the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also termed podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster. The term "podcast" is a portmanteau of the name of Apple's portable music player, the iPod, and broadcast; a pod refers to a container of some sort and the idea of broadcasting to a container or pod describes the process of podcasting. More about the name itself can be found in the history of podcasting article.
Here's another clear indication that companies lack confidence in
Some 1,600+ company-specific “universities” operate in the United States. Apparently, those companies believe that they can do a better job educating their employees than America’s colleges can.
But is it really better, or just more cost-effective?
When tough economic times slash or burn your training budget, that doesn't mean you stop training. It means you work harder to keep training. Often that means putting your staff to work training each other. Does this work? Apparently, almost 2,000 companies think so.
What do you, readers, think? Is it more education, more value, or just more convenient?
It is inevitable that from time to time an organization will lose good employees. The loss and the cost of good employees leaving can be immense, this article looks at how you can use exit surveys to check that when people leave they are doing so for the right, and not the wrong, reasons
We're going to get blunt here about why it's dumb to blow off school.
Staying on top of your game in Engineering today demands a multi-dimensional approach. For licensed engineers, having sources of ongoing continuing education sources that are fresh, and relevant is essential. Many engineers I speak with complain about having the "same old stuff" as far as curriculum through their local schools and engineering societies.
There's some new alter5natives that you should be aware of that may be helpful.
Learnon.org looks like a good place to look for Engineering programs, especially if you're interested in distance learning programs. The courses they display run from seminars and single classes, to certification programs, to 2 and 4 year degree programs.
Another excellent source is RedVector.com, which has over 900 "fully accredited" online courses in technical areas (mostly related to architecture, construction) and "soft skills" (all disciplines) that provide cost effective learner-paced education for engineers. It's top quality education when you want to do it, where you want to do it.
It's increasingly difficult to find time to travel to conferences and seminars. Besides the lost billable time you may incur, consider the lost travel time to/from. Online education is increasingly popular as a way to go. Try it out and let me know your experiences.
Companies worldwide are suddenly scrambling to manage a labor crunch. this article, which suggests there's actually an ongoing global labor shortage. Michigan desperately needs to diversify its economy away from manufacturing and do all it can to take advantage of this situation. But it needs a labor force capable of stepping up to the plate, and with nearly half of Detroit functionally illiterate, education reform has got to happen.
Consider this article, which suggests there's actually an ongoing global labor shortage. Michigan desperately needs to diversify its economy away from manufacturing and do all it can to take advantage of this situation. But it needs a labor force capable of stepping up to the plate, and with nearly half of Detroit functionally illiterate, education reform has got to happen. I think would-be edureformers need to better acknowledge the close ties between urban renewal and education reform--it can help explain why people and organizations with no apparent connection to education become interested in change.
Thanks to our friends over at Edspresso who offer the best in information and insight into the much needed area of Education Reform. For as we preach in this space, if we don't quickly bring about needed reforms in our country, its all over.
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If you haven't recently been over to CR4, the GlobalSpec discussion group, there's a lot happening lately.
One of the more interesting discussions is regarding the issue of gender inequality in the engineering discipline. A recent article "Bias Continuing Issue for Women in Science Careers", that cites a Reuters piece via CNN.com,
"Women trying to make it as scientists face bias, hostility and a lack
of respect that all combine to hold them back....These barriers both
frighten women away from scientific careers and block the women who try
to succeed," as reported by the most recent issue of the Journal of
Science.
We cannot afford this type of bias today, as the ranks of engineers continues to dwindle, and an estimated 50% of the engineer ranks are looking at retirement in the next decade.
The Society of Women Engineers is working hard to change this, but this is a specialization wide issue that must be dealt with in a much broader sense. In case you weren't aware, SWE is the driving force that establishes
engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. SWE
empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and be
recognized for their life-changing contributions and achievements as
engineers and leaders. It is important to set the expectation that women are needed in engineering as they ponder career choices. It is even more important to ensure that once they enter the engineering discipline that they are given the opportunity to grow and prosper.
Tom from Convergence has published a report that was sent through the Indiana Chamber of Commerce that we've discussed a lot on this blog - that even some well-paid workers - do not possess basic workplace literacy skills. Citing the recent report “A Demand-Side Strategy to Meet Indiana’s Workforce Basic Skills Challenge” , Tom shares an excerpt of some of the skills we may have taken for granted, but that often cannot be demonstrated by candidates:
Skills Needed to Get a Job
- Read a want ad and complete a written application
- Talk about skills, abilities, accomplishments, likes and dislikes
- Answer and ask questions
Skills Needed to Survive on a Job
- Follow oral and written directions, ask for clarification or reasoning, and make small talk
- Locate written information, facts or specifications
- Understand technical vocabulary and the enabling words attached to them; for example, “pour the pellets into the extruder”
- Understand and use charts, diagrams and illustrations
Skills Needed to Thrive on a Job
- Give as well as follow instructions
- Participate in group discussions
- Teach others
- Predict outcomes
- State a position
- Express an opinion
- Access and use information from diverse sources
Read the report - you'll find it VERY eye-opening !
The National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development is a department of the Center on Aging & Work at Boston College, a research center committed to:
developing a research agenda focused on aging and work in the 21st century;
engaging
the broader business community in the adoption, implementation, and
utilization of flexible work options for older workers;
impacting public discussion about aging and work;
becoming the premier source of quality information about flexible work options for older workers.
Skip Reardon, the Director of Marketing over at Six Disciplines, is a pretty bright guy. So when he put up an article on the BeExcellent blog entitled The Need for Organization-Wide Succession Planning, it caught my attention, and should get yours too!
Consider just one point that is cited in his post: More than one quarter of U.S. businesses have failed to plan for the
effects of the aging American workforce, according to the results of a
new national survey by Boston College researchers.
With as much as 40% of the workforce expected to take retirement in the next 10 years, imaging the skills void that is being created. As readers of this space, you already understand that there is a severe (and worsening) worker shortage; did you realize that a much more pressing issue is the "skill" shortage?
We are much more impacted, particularly in skilled labor and supervision/management by lack of skills than by lack of bodies. Read the post and then, check out the study. Download national_study_of_business_strategy_and_workforce_development.pdf
You'll be glad you did !
If you want to gain some real "between the eyes" insight into this labor market and how it's affecting all of us, you must read : Tough Choices or Tough Times: The Report of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, published by the Jossie-Bass publishing arm of John Wiley & Sons
Unfortunately, as anyone who regular reads this blog knows, America has been lagging behind on key educational
indicators for quite some time. Nothing short of radical change will
turn the situation around. The final report will propose a
restructuring of educational priorities that will have a major impact
on all levels of education – from preschool to college and beyond.
If you are concerned with the future of this country and the state of our schools and our job training systems, you will find this work compelling. It provides a well-researched analysis of the issues and a compelling set of proposals for changing our system of education.
If you are wondering about whether those "out of this world" perks that appear in new stories are real, you'll enjoy reading Perk Place: The Benefits Offered by Google and Others May Be Grand, but They're All Business
Published by Knowledge@Wharton it will give you insight into the "business side" and payback rationale, as well as some insightful perspectives on what workers can expect, as well as what they can expect to give up.
Marc Rosenberg has published e-Learning
Strategies for Delivering Knowledge in the Digital Age
a work (circa 2000) that explains the basic principles of a comprehensive Web-based
learning strategy—how to link your organization’s Web sites, Web-based
training, courseware, and all the other components of online learning.
Thanks to our friend Dave Boggs over at the Boggs eLearning Journal for the tip on this book that will be helpful to anyone new to eLearning that is attempting to get a better handle on navigating the eLearning sea.
The president's infamous statement made at the 2001 Washington TV/Radio Correspondents dinner, "Rarely is the question asked, . . . is our children learning?" isn't just unfortunate, it's pathetic.
We as business people understand far too well the implications of a literate workforce. This blog has posted many articles and identified numerous resources geared to helping amplify the understanding of the depth and breadth of the workforce literacy problem, how our educational systems and institutions need to improve, and the consequences of what happens when we aren't able to maintain a workforce with an adequate level of literacy.
I recently discovered a new blog, Illiterate Business that is devoted to showcasing business communications and signs that have punctuation, spelling and/or grammatical errors. The site asks a basic and very valid question: How hard is it to find someone with good English grammar skills to spend 30 seconds proof-reading a sign? And why aren't the companies that print these signs offering that service as a courtesy to their clients?
It is however a good indication of the fact that there is evidence of failing to have a literate or attentive workforce that are popping up all over our society. Maria Ford, the bloghost, is the owner of "straight to the point" a marketing communications firm that is focused on helping private businesses to effectively communicate to their target audiences. It really does boil down to the "basics" doesn't it?
It seems these days, especially with most Americans having access to computers, that the traditional "three R's (Reading wRiting, aRithmetic) have been recast into "Reading, Writing, Rebooting".
At a time when due to the "talent wars", that it appears that employers are willing to consider anyone that can "fog a mirror", you have to ask yourself if the following areas that employers want, should be "non-negotiables" for job applicants:
Bear in mind that we are talking about "skilled" versus general labor.
The Test of Adult Basic Education test (TABE), is designed to test your ability to learn. It basically checks to make sure you have a minimum competency level to protect the integrity of the testing process.
In other words, it's more about your ability to learn and process new information than what you know. This is good news for those willing to work hard, because it boils down to a very simple strategy:
With information changing so rapidly and the ability to access new information quickly, is it more important to you as an employer to determine if a worker can remember a set of information about a particular subject, or to deduce what information is relevant and useful to their job. TABE provides a means to make such a determination.
Additionally, new skills are appearing in each "traditional" area. For example, what employer would not want to increase the skills of their workforce that can write with confidence, communicate message professionally in a useable and readable fashion, and avoid common writing mistakes that distract from the message? Ans save training dollars at the same time?
An online program by RedVector called Quick Writing Tips authored by Edward P. Shanahan helps people develop a new writing style that's particularly useful for workers in business. We know that effective business writing is a vital professional skill. Successfully getting your message across is fundamental whether you are simply writing short memos and letters, or multi-page reports and proposals. Written communication is often used to convey information to coordinate operations, perform tasks, answer questions, make decisions, or solve problems. To communicate effectively, a writer must know the intended audience and write specifically to that person or group.
So there you have it. New approaches to testing adult ability to learn, and a new twist on how your people can learn a new style of business writing. How does that sound for a new start?
Few would disagree with the importance of motivation and positive communication. By understanding that our basic human needs form the basis of all motivation (positive and negative) we discover the benefits of reward, growth and challenge as motivational factors. Nothing moves without motivation and this course assists you in creating and maintaining positive and productive motivation. We naturally want to keep our teams happy and productive...and out of trouble.
An innovative program has been developed by Mrs. Donna Kobylarczyk, entitled Team Building IV: Conflict Management.
Mrs. Kobylarczyk has over 20 years of experience as a Team Leader for the finance department of AT&T and the Director and/or President of various non-profit organizations such as the Autistic/Handicapped Children of Central Florida, Inc, and ia an author for the online education provider RedVector.
Since we all deal with conflict perhaps having a better understanding of it might be in order, wouldn't you think? Conflict is common and normal and has been around for as long as we have had humans in toe workplace. An ancient Zen Proverb states, “Life will always have conflict. The idea is not to live life without conflict. The idea is to deal with conflict gracefully.”
Conflict exists whenever one or more individuals desire a certain goal and perceive that one or more other individuals are preventing them from attaining it. Many of us have experienced some form of conflict in the workplace which may not have been resolved successfully. Although many feel comfortable addressing conflict in other areas of life, sports, politics, car buying, vacation planning, etc… We generally do not address and resolve conflicts in the workplace conflicts. Why is that?
Check out this program, it will help answer some of these questions and provide a means of reducing the disruptive effects of this phenomenon.
