Missing Applied & Soft Skills

This Is Why Finding Talent Is Getting Tougher in 2016

roy.maurer@shrm.org

https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-news/pages/recruiting-gets-harder-in-2016.aspx 

By Roy MaurerJun 20, 2016

More than two-thirds of surveyed organizations hiring full-time staff indicate they are having a difficult time recruiting for job openings, according to a research report released today by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

That number is up from what it was in 2013, when half of responding organizations reported having recruiting difficulties for full-time positions.

SHRM surveyed more than 3,300 HR professionals in February 2016 from various industries and company sizes.

Respondents in the health and social assistance (81 percent) and manufacturing (75 percent) sectors reported the highest levels of recruiting difficulty.

These results echo similar findings from the SHRM Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) recruiting difficulty index, which has shown a rise in the challenge HR professionals report in finding candidates.

​Talent Churn Muddies the Waters

Lower unemployment and more job openings, as shown by data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics over the past year, may indicate that more people are seeking out new job opportunities, but this churn also is making it more difficult for organizations to fill open positions.

“According to HR professionals, it’s getting harder to find people for the jobs they are trying to fill and the top reasons are a low number of applicants, lack of needed work experience among those that do apply, competition from other employers and a lack of technical skills among job applicants,” said Jennifer Schramm, SHRM-SCP, manager of workforce trends at SHRM.

“Another factor that many HR professionals noted was that their local markets were simply not producing enough qualified candidates. This factor alone could be behind many of the reasons HR professionals think it is a more difficult recruiting environment.”

The survey found significant differences between industries. For example, HR professionals in construction, mining, energy, finance, insurance, real estate, health and social assistance, high-tech, and manufacturing were more likely to report that their local labor market was not producing enough work-ready job candidates compared with respondents from other industries. Respondents in the accommodation, food services and retail sectors were more likely than those in other industries to say candidates lacked workplace soft skills such as problem-solving, interpersonal skills, communication, teamwork and leadership.

HR professionals in the education and government fields were more likely than those in other industries to say job candidates did not have the needed credentials or certifications for the roles they were applying for.

Not surprisingly, vacancies for jobs requiring high and in-demand skills are among the most difficult to fill. According to the HR professionals surveyed, the most difficult-to-recruit-for job categories were high-skilled medical professionals, scientists and mathematicians, skilled tradespeople, engineers and architects, IT/computer specialists, executives, and high-skilled technicians.

Key Skills Lacking Among Job Applicants

More than half (59 percent) of HR professionals reported some level of basic skills deficit among job applicants, and 84 percent reported applied skills shortages in job applicants over the last year.

The most common basic skills deficits employers encountered were:

• Writing in English (30 percent).
• Basic computer skills (30 percent).
• Speaking English (18 percent).
• Reading comprehension (17 percent).
• Mathematics (14 percent).

Notably, all industries reported writing in English and basic computer skills as the top two basic skills shortages. The most commonly reported missing applied skills were:

• Critical thinking and problem-solving (45 percent).
• Professionalism and work ethic (43 percent).
• Leadership (35 percent).
• Written communications (29 percent).
• Teamwork and collaboration (28 percent).

A higher percentage of HR professionals in the accommodation, food services, retail, finance, real estate, and health and social assistance sectors reported applicants lacking professionalism and work ethic when compared with other industries.

“Many HR professionals are reporting a lack of technical skills as a key reason behind the challenges they are having finding candidates for open jobs,” Schramm said. “Some of the reasons that positions require new skills, according to the HR professionals surveyed, are changing technology, growth of the organization, changing customer and client expectations, and the development of new products and services.”

While technology tends to be a driver of these changes, the most common types of new skills required for the full-time jobs HR professionals said they needed to fill in the last year were actually workplace or soft skills such as interpersonal skills, teamwork and leadership, Schramm said.

Training and Hiring Internally Most Effective Solution

Skills shortages are putting renewed emphasis on training. Although most organizations (70 percent) are ramping up social media engagement to find passive job candidates, build employer brand and advertise open positions, the approach HR professionals consider most effective is to train existing employees to take on hard-to-fill roles, with the largest organizations leading the way in this area.

Almost half (48 percent) of respondents said training existing employees to take on hard-to-fill positions was an effective recruiting strategy. This was followed by using social media and recruitment agencies (both 47 percent), expanding advertising efforts (44 percent), and improving the compensation packages being offered to job candidates (42 percent).

Although training is seen as valuable, nearly one-third (31 percent) of employers are operating without a training budget.

“HR professionals are very close to the talent market, and they are able to see it change and evolve in a way that few others can,” Schramm said. “So they must make the business case for greater investments in training and development based on this in-depth knowledge. To do this, they will often have to show the financial return on investments in training through improved outcomes in recruiting, retention and job performance.”

Roy Maurer is an online editor/manager for SHRM. Follow him @SHRMRoy

About Roy Maurer

Online Manager/Editor, Talent Acquisition

Roy is covers talent acquisition for SHRM Online. Before joining SHRM in 2008, he was an editor and reporter covering state and city government in Indiana, arts and culture in Los Angeles and theater in Washington, D.C. Before that he was a filmmaker and screenwriter. He has a master's degree in journalism from Indiana University and a bachelor's degree in film production from Columbia College.

Contact him at roy.maurer@shrm.org and follow him on Twitter @SHRMRoy​.

Note: Mr. Maurer permitted our reposting his article, 1-23-16

Mayor Bartlett's Mentoring to the Max Breakfast 2016, Part II

As mentioned previously, outstanding northeastern Oklahoma mentors, honored at Oklahoma Mentor Day at the State Capitol, were listed on the back of the event program and asked to stand to be recognized at the Mentoring to the Max Mentoring Breakfast with Mayor Dewey F. Bartlett, Jr.

Program back

Mayor Bartlett's Points

• January is National Mentoring Month.
• Tulsa Regional Chamber's Partner in Education Program for over 30 years has driven a highly successful collaboration between business and the schools.
• The City of Tulsa supports mentoring through career awareness, e.g., developing different types of career academies. 

     ~  Aerospace Academy (See previous post.)

     ~  Possible internships with the Tulsa Housing Authority 

         to provide high school students with internships to 

         learn about construction.

   
First Lady Victoria Bartlett's Points

• Emerson Elementary School's partnership with the City of Tulsa

     ~ Lunch buddies

     ~ Reading books to classes

     ~ Educating or engaging students on planning topics

     ~ Her riding with Emerson's Bike Club to City Hall 

• Now several bike organizations have adopted seven Tulsa schools to give children a fun, biking experience.

Mayor Bartlett said about her, "She's the heart behind our community-wide mentoring efforts and is our youth's Number 1 champion."

2015 Coaches' Mentoring Challenge New Mentors for Oklahoma

Beverly Woodrome, director of the Boren Mentoring Initiative, announced the number of new mentors recruited by Oklahoma mentoring programs during the 2015 Coaches' Mentoring Challenge: 3,821. She also thanked Mayor Bartlett and the City of Tulsa for its mentoring efforts and then reminded the audience that he is one of a handful of "Mayors for Mentoring" nationally recognized by MENTOR, the National Mentoring Partnership, for his mentoring advocacy and strategies. Mayors must have a list of mentoring-related accomplishments, initiatives, and pro-mentoring public announcements to be considered for this honor.

http://www.mentoring.org/our-work/campaigns/mayors-for-mentoring/ 

Surprise for the Bartletts!
Seeing Emerson Elementary School's principal Tammy States present with some students was not unusual because of the City's partnership with the school. Woodrome, however, then invited the three students to the podium. These Emerson sixth graders--Aiden and Jacob Joseph and Sylvester Calvin--bore gifts bags!

Aiden and Jacob Joseph and Sylvester Calvin, presenting on 
behalf of grateful Emerson Elementary School mentees, watch the 
Bartletts open their gifts. The Mayor received a "Mentor Tie" 
and the First Lady, a custom-embroidered mentoring apron.

As the event was ending, Mayor Bartlett immediately walked 
stage right in view of all, removed his jacket and tie, and put on the 
mentor tie the Emerson mentees had brought. Leaving early 
for another meeting, he was determined to wear his mentor tie. 
[Don't you just love Mayor Bartlett?] 

Mayor Bartlett with Aiden and Jacob Joseph and Sylvester Calvin

The Joseph twins, Sylvester Calvin stand in front of 

First Lady Bartlett and Mike Neal, chairman of the Tulsa Regional Chamber.

Cell phone photo

First Lady Victoria Bartlett and Pam Listar are listening intently.
Although this is not a sophisticated shot, the details on the apron 
presented to the First Lady are more visible. On the bib is the 
purple and blue Mentoring to the Max logo, and by her left 
hand  embroidered on the pocket in purple lettering
with a red heart image is "I 'heart' Tulsa Mentors."
Cell phone photo

Oklahoma State University's Dr. Jason Kirksey, Vice President 

for Institutional Diversity, who attended the breakfast on behalf 

of the Oklahoma Louis Stokes Minority Participation Alliance 

(OK-LSAMP), enjoyed meeting the Bartletts. 

Emily Harris, mentoring program director, and Treasure Sandeford,
executive director, both of the Boys & Girls Club of Nowata, take a
moment to pose with First Lady Victoria and Mayor Dewey Bartlett. 

Professional event photos provided by Pam Listar, communications director, City of Tulsa

____________________________________________

Notice that Mayor Dewey and First Lady Victoria Bartlett were among those honored on Oklahoma Mentor Day at the State Capitol on January 8, 2016. The certificate of each featured his or her name and read:

"Mentoring to the Max

City of Tulsa

In recognition of making a profound difference in the lives

 of youth through mentoring advocacy and leadership"

David L. Boren, chairman of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, 

presents outstanding mentor tokens to Tulsa Mayor Dewey F. Barlett 

and First Lady Victoria Bartlett. Anil Gollahalli, president of the 

Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, assisted in the presentation.

Photo by Travis Caperton, Capitol photographer 

__________________________________________

About the Mentor Tie

Briefly, the online search for the right mentor tie brought the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence back to Dr. Susan Weinberger, a.k.a. Dr. Mentor, the consultant whom our former director Charlotte Jones had brought in to begin the Boren Mentoring Initiative and help with the Local Education Foundation Outreach. Woodrome, the current BMI director, not only became acquainted through many phone calls and emails but also developed a friendship with and appreciation of Dr. Weinberger on multiple levels.

The money for these classy, fine quality silk mentor ties is actually a donation to the Norwalk Mentor Scholarship, Dollars for Scholars, in Norwalk, Connecticut. 

http://www.mentorconsultinggroup.com/bookstore.html 

We were thrilled to be able to assist these appreciative students in honoring the Mayor and First Lady.

Mayor Bartlett's Mentoring to the Max Breakfast 2016, Part I

For the past few years, we have been honored and excited to attend the Mentoring to the Max Breakfast with Tulsa Mayor Dewey F. Bartlett, Jr. Each year the breakfast's programming differs but always informs the community and promotes mentoring, especially in the Tulsa area. What Tulsa is doing, however, is applicable everywhere.

View toward the stage and podium

This year Mayor and First Lady Bartlett and Kuma Browne Roberts,  program manager for Partners in Education for the Tulsa Regional Chamber as well as co-planner and co-host for the annual event, decided to recognize northeastern Oklahoma mentors who were honored at Oklahoma Mentor Day earlier in January. On the back of the event program was a list of those honorees (See below.). Also, during the event, Mayor Bartlett asked those outstanding mentors to stand. Northeastern Oklahoma representatives from all of the Boren Mentoring Initiative's network were also invited to attend.

Mayor Bartlett listens as First Lady Victoria Bartlett
shares information about Tulsa mentoring.

This blogger's summary from the breakfast:

Explore Downtown Tulsa

The George Kaiser Foundation in Tulsa began the Explore Downtown Tulsa program and Tulsa Community Foundation supports it. Explore Downtown Tulsa is a vehicle to get inner city poor kids to connect with the community and see a vision for the future.
http://www.exploredowntowntulsa.com/

Road Trip for Teachers 

The purpose of this initiative is to get teachers into businesses to see and also learn about skills industries need for the future workforce. 
 https://www.rose.edu/content/news-events/news/2015/07/28/oklahoma-education-and-industry-partnership-draws-the-attention-of-the-governor/. 

Note: Ben Robinson began something similar for Boeing in Oklahoma City and has been expanding the program. Some Oklahoma City teachers involved in this program have also been to NORDAM and other Tulsa companies.

Tulsa Road Trip for Teachers program links: http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/manufacturing/teachers-tour-broken-arrow-manufacturers/article_dac073d4-6ffe-5dec-8803-0072e64ddae3.html?_dc=374245963990.68835

https://storify.com/WylieWorks4You/road-trip-for-teachers-professional-services

Front of program -
Back of program in following post

InterninTulsa

http://www.internintulsa.com/ 

Three aerospace engineers from NORDAM spoke about NORDAM’s long-time, highly successful program. Interns spend 12-weeks at NORDAM to receive a high-quality experience. They are taught presentation skills, take personality and aptitude tests designed for industry, are matched with an engineering mentor, and actually work on a current NORDAM project. Brock Lindsey, the youngest engineer, was himself an intern while in college. When Lindsey graduated, he took his internship certificate, applied for a job, was hired, and has now had seven mentors of his own at NORDAM.

PDF guide about how to start an internship program 

http://ww3.tulsachamber.com/upload/file/intern%20in%20tulsa%20media/2014%20Hire%20Education%20Guide%20Web.pdf 

Virtual Job Shadow 

Rana McVay of Tulsa Public Schools introduced this program. After it was brought to her attention and TPS researched it, TPS bought it. Dee Phillips-Goodnight, an East Central High School teacher, and Landon Wolf, one of her students who has used the program extensively, spoke about it. Using the program has proven so successful, that the Tulsa Partners in Education (Chamber) and TPS are making virtual job shadow videos for the Tulsa area businesses—not associated with the VJS program but based upon its video models. Virtual Job Shadow has interactive activities such as résumés, etc. Surely, a consortium of businesses and/or the foundation could launch a pilot of VJS to evaluate results in OKCPS. Or not. https://www.virtualjobshadow.com/

  First Aerospace Academy

“With the support of Tulsa Tech and Tulsa Public Schools, the first-ever Aerospace Academy in the state launched Aug. 17, 2015 at Tulsa Tech/R.L. Jones Airport. When high school students complete this program, they’ll not only receive a high school diploma and training from the Aerospace Academy, they can attend Tulsa Community College through the Tulsa Achieves program and receive an associate’s degree in a technical discipline, all for free.” http://www.tulsacc.edu/degrees-and-certificates/tulsa-achieves 

Early Childhood Initiative 

Last but not least, the First Lady was approached to spearhead an early childhood program that doesn’t have city, state, or federal money. She has been going into churches and speaking with pastors to begin birth to school-age, i.e., early childhood education, conversations, so that economically challenged children will not enter school with 400-word vocabularies. The average child enters with about a 1500-word vocabulary according to research. 

Follow-up: The church/faith-based early childhood initiative is in the very beginning stages. The First Lady just began visiting with the pastors about this initiative, which is supported by the George Kaiser Family Foundation. The purpose is to engage low-income parents about the importance of interacting with young infants to help with the first formative years of their lives. Educational messages will target low-income families with a three-prong approach: faith-based communities; medical; and the business community.

[Note: Ultimately, this could result in more religious institutions' beginning specific programs for early childhood and families.The potential is enormous.]

These two Tulsa Public School mentees had a very
important part in the program. See the next blog post.

Other cities across the country have taken on this initiative and because Tulsa is already recognized as the best place in America for Early Childhood Education – through its Educare program – Tulsa wants to be recognized as the national leader in this effort to engage babies from birth with verbal communications: talking, singing, reading, playing, etc.

Thanks to Tulsa Regional Chamber and its wildly successful Partners in Education program.




Photos graciously provided by: 
Pam Listar
Communications Officer
City of Tulsa Communications Department

Metro Tech Foundation's Sixth Banquet & Awards

Metro Tech's 6th Annual Foundation Banquet was another huge success. The personal stories of students recognized often were amazing. Various foundation expenditures include student scholarships, grants, and recognition.The financial reporting on how foundation funds are deployed to help keep students in school and/or launch them into their first jobs would make even the smallest donor proud.

If you are unfamiliar with this model foundation, the first Metro Tech Seeds of Hope Banquet we attended is chronicled at http://okmentor.blogspot.com/2013/06/model-foundation-mentoring-program.html. 

Partnerships and innovation focus upon increasing opportunities for Metro Tech students. For example, the Lunch & Learn program is 10-week opportunity for students to eat lunch and learn life skills. At the end of the session, Tinker Federal Credit Union establishes a savings account with $100 for each L&L "graduate."

Students along with faculty and staff also are fundraising for the foundation. The student-designed and executed Zombie Dash 3K generated so much fun on campus as well as revenue that it is being expanded as an annual event. Students, faculty, and staff also have restaurant nights at places like Johnnie's, a beloved area hamburger restaurant.

One of the Rock Stars of the Metro Tech Foundation

Ruben Aragon received the Don R. Wright Award, explained below. Mr. Aragon was the architect of increased fundraising but more importantly the policy of not hoarding foundation funds. He envisioned the foundation's spending to assist students who needed a hand up in order to finish their education. That need might be a new tire, a utility payment, or other. Mr. Aragon through his leadership and vision has done so much more to change the lives of the Metro Tech students and enhance Metro Tech in general. Bravo!

Ruben Aragon

Don R. Wright Award 

Don Wright was a charter member of the Metro Tech Board of Education. He was a WWII hero and a member of what some call the greatest generation. His war memoirs can be found on display at the Oklahoma Historical Society.  The award is given for outstanding board service to an outgoing member of the Metro Tech Foundation Board of Trustees who exemplified a spirit of  energy, leadership, and commitment to helping make a difference. The past recipients awarded by the foundation have been Tom Hill, Pat Potts, Dick Beshear, Jan Carroll and Barbara Batchelor. 

Foundation Information 

Program Cover & Officials

Agenda & Honorees 













































































A Little More We Learned

Community Service Participation Initiative

Metro Tech also sponsors a Community Service Participation Initiative through which students, faculty, and staff host blood drives, participate in United Way fundraising efforts, and volunteer for area nonprofits with high community impact. This initiative is one of various learning opportunities.
Billie Smith, community relations/social media specialist for Metro Tech, wrote:

[The Community Service Participation Initiative is] aimed at engaging stakeholders while positively impacting the local, state and national community. Community service projects are built into the curriculum to stimulate a sense of teamwork among employees and students as they choose community service sites and volunteer together, giving teachers the opportunity to connect more with students on a more personal level. Students show citizenship, make a difference and learn the value of giving back as they apply soft skills acquired in the classroom to real-life situations, bringing the Metro Tech Mission to life.

http://www.okethics.org/assets/Awards/CommunityImpact/metro%20tech%202014%20community%20impact%20award.pdf    Ret. 5-6-15

Donation of a Car (excerpts from a Newsok.com article)

Metro Tech Executive Officer Matt Campbell lost his wife, Jessica, in a traffic accident.

Matt Campbell, Jessica Campbell and their granddaughter Sophie Campbell. PHOTO PROVIDED

In December, Campbell announced the donation of his late wife’s car, a 2009 Toyota Corolla, to the Metro Tech Foundation, a nonprofit established to assist students during financial hardship.

The foundation received 67 eligible student applications that were placed into a blind draw. Application criteria included a steady income, valid driver’s license and ability to secure automobile insurance.

Before the winner was announced, Campbell addressed the crowd of students.

“I am also a Metro Tech graduate who had transportation issues getting through school. I know Jessica would want her car to help a student here overcome that struggle,” he said.

The winning student, Samiyah Dungee, a second-year adult cosmetology/nail technician student, works part-time and attends classes at Oklahoma City Community College and Metro Tech.

http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-metro-tech-leader-gives-car-to-student/article/5383187 

Minh Ton

Minh Ton, recipient of the 2014 James D. Branscum Scholarship, spoke at the banquet. Each year the stories of the achievements and drive of all of the honorees are amazing. A former Metro Tech biomed student, Minh is focused upon becoming a dentist. She came to America at age 10. 
http://metrotech.edu/news/biomed-student-wins-prestigious-clara-luper-scholarship 

People Photos





















Jimmy McKinney, Metro Tech Board of Education and president of McKinney Heat & Air, Inc.,; Jennifer McKinney, Jimmy's wife; Elizabeth Richards, Metro Tech Board of Education and attorney and counselor at law, Richards Law Firm; Bob Parrish, associate superintendent of business & operational services and Metro Tech Board of Education treasurer, Metro Tech Centers




Cecilia Robinson, Ed.D., Superintendent of Millwood Schools, and Liz Guerrero-Lee, Community Outreach and Parent Resource Coordinator at Metro Technology Centers. Guerrero-Lee is also a mentor in the Oklahoma ArtScience Prize.















Applause for Cindy Friedemann, chief officer for strategy and market development at Metro Technology Centers! She produces results in a pleasant way.


New MTF Fundraiser - First Golf Tournament


























Cookies!


Although we do not advertise for those marketing to mentoring groups, we would be remiss not to mention these cookies on the tables at the fundraising luncheon. Seriously, they melt in one's mouth! These were packaged take-a-ways under tiered individual desserts. Not a cookie was left anywhere. We all looked!





If you have never attended one of the Metro Tech Foundation banquets, you should. We all left feeling proud of Metro Tech, warmed by the students' stories of focus and accomplishment, and satisfied with how our donations are being spent.

http://www.metrotech.edu/