When leaders of the state's Workforce Investment boards met in Salem last week for a regional summit, much of the discussion centered on closing what's known as "the skills gap".
Despite an economy that's slipping toward recession, there are still jobs available in Massachusetts. The problem is a lack of people qualified to fill them.
"We aren't training kids, or even adults, for the jobs that are being created here," Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Suzanne Bump observed in an interview last Thursday. She was in Salem to introduce the Patrick administration's "Regional Workforce Strategies Initiative," which aims to identify the needs of the state's emerging industries and offer programs at local vocational high schools and institutions of higher education that will provide graduates with the skills needed to fill those jobs.
It makes sense. Historically employers have been attracted to the Bay State, despite its geographic isolation and relatively high cost of living, because they knew they would find an educated workforce here. But one hears an increasing number of complaints from those in the business community about the difficulty they have finding people qualified to fill positions in their plants and offices.
"We really have to redouble our effort in order to maintain our advantage," Bump said.
Toward that end the state has commissioned Northeastern University's Center for Labor Market Studies — the same think tank that found Massachusetts had a net outmigration of 303,195 residents between 2000 and 2007 — to compile data on job vacancies and the kinds of skills being taught in the state's vocational schools, community colleges and other institutions people attend for career preparation.
It's all about "closing the loop," Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll noted at last Wednesday's summit. (Another is scheduled for Thursday, June 26, at the Riverwalk in Lawrence.) Which means educators need to focus on offering degree programs that match employers' needs now and in the future.
One thing that comes through loud and clear during these discussions: If you drop out of high school, or even if you graduate but don't pursue your education beyond the traditional 12 years, your chances of getting a good job these days are increasingly remote.
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