Transcript Aligning Education to Meet The Needs of Texas Employers

TAWB EDUCATION PAPER 2014
By Tyane Dietz
ABOUT TAWB
The Texas Association of Workforce Boards
 Members represent the 28 local Workforce Development
Boards (Workforce Solutions) in Texas
 Majority of members represent the private sector (approx. 750
businesses statewide); all are volunteers
 Make recommendations on workforce development,
education and training from the employer’s perspective, in
order to ensure a future workforce that will be ready to meet
the needs of employers and grow the state’s economy
TAWB’s Primary Objective
Address employer workforce needs
and labor market trends
on an on-going basis
Texas’ Economic Health
 The health of a state’s economy is largely influenced by
the composition and characteristics of its current and
future workforce
1. Dictates the jobs and employers it can support
and retain
2. Dictates new employers and new jobs it can
attract
3. Dictates the standards of living enjoyed by the
workforce
If Texas Were a Country
 Ranked 14th worldwide for Gross Domestic Product,
ahead of South Korea and Indonesia, in 2012
Texas competitive advantage will not continue unless we
make significant changes in our approach to education
and the preparation of the workforce
 Ranked 10th worldwide for Gross Domestic Product,
ahead of Russian, India and Brazil, in 2008
Skills Gap
A significant gap between an organization’s current
capabilities and the skills it needs to achieve its
goals. It is the point at which an organization can no
longer grow or remain competitive because it can
not fill critical jobs with employees who have the
right knowledge, skills and abilities.
Fueling the Skills Gap
 By 2020:
1. 37% of the working population will be 55 or older
2. Shortage of 1.5 million college graduates in the workforce
3. The number of workers with a high school diploma or less
will increase
4. The number of jobs requiring postsecondary education
and certifications will rise
By 2030:
1. 77.2 million Baby Boomers will have left the workforce
Texas Educational Attainment
• 19 of 100 Texas 8th graders complete a post-secondary
credential within 11 years; only 11 of 100 Hispanic or
African American
• 50th in percent of people 25+ years who have completed
high school or have GED (81.1%)
• 30th in percent of people 25 years and over who have
completed a bachelor’s degree (26.4%)
• 41st in percent of 18 to 24 year-olds enrolled in colleges
and universities (39.6%)
Projected Labor Force Education Attainment Rates
Expected Declines In Household Income
TEXAS FAST GROWING SCHOOL AGE POPULATION
(Age 5-17)

Grew by 675,000 students to 4.9 million from 2000-2010,
 In 2010 - 817,000 English Language Learners (17%)
enrolled in public schools, 91% of those spoke Spanish
 Between 2010-2050 - Projected to grow by 4.5 million to
9.4 million (91.5%)
Texas’ Changing Demographics
 Texas will continue to see explosive population
growth 35.8 million by 2040)
 The percentage of the population 65+ will nearly
double (18% by 2040)
 Our population will continue to shift to urban areas
 Hispanics will be majority in every age group under
age 60
TAWB’S Conclusion:
Our K-12 education system requires significant
changes for Texas businesses to effectively compete
in the global economy of the future.
TAWB’S Solution
Educate and prepare our future [and current]
Texas talent supply to meet the current and future
needs of Texas employers
Preparing Our Workforce
We must stop focusing on high school as
the start and end point for the training of
our emerging workforce.
Grades K-8 must be the central focus of
education and workforce development
PRE-K TO CAREERS MODEL
1. Provide career path information to students
from pre-K through middle school, and beyond
2. Renew focus on basic literacy and numeracy in
pre-K and elementary
3. Ensure students read and perform math at the
high school level before exiting middle school
4. Teach problem solving, critical thinking and
working in groups
PRE-K TO CAREERS MODEL Continued
5. Stop teaching to tests
6. Curriculum is context based
7. Improve teacher quality
8. Expand Career and Technology Education (CTE) –
Dual Credit and Industry Certifications
9. Expand STEM Pipeline
Other Recommendations
Postsecondary Alignment
 Degree and Certificate Programs to Careers
 Research and Investments to Job Creation and Economic
Development
 High School Exit Tests to College Entrance Exams
Business--Education Partnership
 School officials across the country rank businesses and
business coalitions as the most important partnerships
moving forward
 Businesses outranked
1. Parent Organizations
2. Booster Clubs
3. Chambers of Commerce
4. Existing Community Partnerships
The Role of Business
Business—Education Partnerships should develop and
implement master plans for their regions
 99% of Texas Employers surveyed said the government
and educational institutions were not doing enough to
prepare the workforce
 49% of those employers said they had never contacted
anyone to explain what it is they want from the education
system
BUSINESS-DRIVEN EDUCATION SYSTEM
• Regional partnerships between employers and
educators
• Organized by relevant industry clusters/sectors
• Focused on education and skills demanded by
regional employers
• Focused on an evolving and in-demand talent
pipeline
• Focused on continuous process improvement
What Businesses Can Do Now
1. Participate in career fairs
2. Allow on-site field trips
3. Teach subject matter when asked
4. Mentor
5. Community Outreach – let parents
know what we need and will hire
OUTCOMES OF A BUSINESS DRIVEN EDUCATION SYSTEM
1. Produces employees with knowledge and skills needed
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
by employers
Aligns curriculum at all levels with actual jobs
Creates seamless pathways to good jobs
Addresses talent shortage
Eliminates need for remedial education at college level
Produces graduates with the fundamental skills
needed for lifelong learning
Provides paths for up-skilling/re-training incumbent
workers
Education = Economic Development
The two most significant growth drivers
for Regions
Talent
2. Innovation
1.
Regions with a competitive advantage
consistently support innovation and
velocity of innovation
TALENT + INNOVATION
= ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
A Region will not yield
the best if a region
does not cultivate the
best
Thank You!
More Information can be found at
http://www.tawb.info/
Contact Information
[email protected]