Job Skills Gap: Fact or Fiction?

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Seventy percent of Minnesota jobs will require some education beyond high school by 2018.

Most experts believe the long-term solution will come from addressing the core problem—the need for education.

Woodbury, MN (PRWEB) August 09, 2012

With the nation’s unemployment rate stagnating at around 8 percent, it would seem employers would have little trouble finding willing and able job candidates.

But according to ManpowerGroup’s 2012 Talent Shortage report, nearly half of U.S. employers are experiencing difficulty filling crucial positions. Forty percent of them say a major reason is job candidates lack essential skills, particularly in professional positions and skilled trades.

ManpowerGroup chair and CEO Jeffrey Joerres also noted in a July NY Times article that more than half of the respondents acknowledged inadequate pay makes it difficult to land candidates.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune also recently reported about the “skills vs. pay gap.” Citing a chronic shortage of welders across the state, the article points out that ironically, the average welder pay has only increased by $1/hour between 2005 and 2011. With inflation factored in, that’s a pay cut.

In writing for the NY Times, Peter Cappelli, professor of management and director of the Center for Human Resources at the Wharton School, also asserts that if there is a gap the blame should go to the employer.

“Have you tried raising wages? If you could get what you want by paying more, the problem is just that you are cheap. The fact that I cannot find the car I want at the price I want to pay does not constitute a car shortage, yet a large number of employers claiming they face a skills shortage admit that the problem is getting candidates to accept their wage rates.”

Whether the skills gap is real or mostly manufactured by employers unwilling to pay people what they are worth, the fact remains 70% of Minnesota jobs will require some education beyond high school by 2018, according to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. The state is so concerned about the skills gap it created a sales campaign—replete with snappy logo and tagline—around the initiative to help promote it. “Skills@Work: Minnesotans working together to close the skills gap” is helping to shine a light on the issue.

Most experts believe the long-term solution will come from addressing the core problem—the need for education. Higher education must take a leadership role in the skills-gap debate by helping students identify in-demand careers. By working closely with employers, colleges and universities can help identify what skills are required to fill job needs and what’s the most effective path for acquiring those skills.

By Gary Teagarden
Communications Director, Globe Network of Career Colleges

ABOUT GARY TEAGARDEN, AND THE GLOBE NETWORK OF CAREER COLLEGES

Gary Teagarden is the communications director for the Globe network of career colleges, which includes Globe University, Minnesota School of Business, Broadview University and its affiliated schools, a premier, family-managed system of career colleges, universities and training centers based in Woodbury, Minn. These specialty skills colleges prepare work-ready professionals for successful careers in a wide range of high-demand fields. Through its mission, We Care, the organization integrates hands-on and career-focused education with service- and applied-learning experiences that expose students to their communities and real-world situations. Programs offer undergraduate, diploma and graduate degrees in a wide range of career fields, including business and accounting, health sciences, legal sciences, technology, creative media and applied arts. More than 30 programs are available online. All academic programs are accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). For more information, visit http://www.globeuniversity.edu.

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