Identifying the needs of tomorrow”™s workforce and supplying it with suitably educated workers requires up-to-date research to overcome the current deficit in so-called middle-skills jobs.
With that in mind, JP Morgan Chase awarded Westchester Community College a $150,000 grant to develop a report that will encompass the lower Hudson Valley and focus on this job sector that is defined as requiring education beyond high school, but less than a four-year degree.
The goal of the study is twofold: one is to identify middle-skills jobs that regional employers would need to fill to remain competitive and second, to create the educational programs and training needed for these positions.
Community and four-year colleges and high schools could then align curricula with the industry needs found in the report. In a release, WCC said it hoped to “insure a pipeline” of appropriately trained prospective employees to regional employers.
“Linking our educational offerings to actual jobs in the local workforce is a critical part of our mission,” college President Belinda S. Miles said. “This key research project will allow our institution, and many others responsible for training and educating tomorrow”™s workforce, to ensure we will be able to match academic programs with existing and future job openings and career opportunities.”
Citing a study from The National Skills Coalition, an advocacy group that works to raise worker skills in various industries, WCC said that 46 percent of jobs in New York state through 2022 will be middle-skills jobs, including many Westchester positions in health care, information technology and advanced manufacturing. The school said it expects the report to be released by early 2016.
The National Skills Coalition on its website reported that middle-skills jobs make up the largest part of the labor market in the country and in each state. In a 2012 study on Bureau of Labor statistics on occupational employment, the organization said that 51 percent of jobs in New York state in 2012 were middle skill, compared with 33 percent high skill and 15 percent low skill. Despite making up the majority of jobs in New York, only 39 percent of state workers are trained to the middle-skill level, the report found.
Marissa Brett, president of the Westchester County Association, a participant in the study, said that information drawn from the report will be used to foster future business growth in the county.
“At present, the county has an exploding biotech and health tech industry that requires a skilled workforce,” Brett said. “The grant will better position workers to fill current vacant positions and enable employers to be even more innovative and competitive.”
JPMorgan Chase, through its New Skills at Work initiative, has funded skill gap reports in several metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. to support skills training. Chauncy Lennon, head of workforce initiatives at JPMorgan Chase, said that addressing a gap in this region could help reduce unemployment and expand economic opportunities.
“New York employers are looking to hire individuals with advanced skills, but area job seekers often struggle to figure out which skills they need and where they can learn them,” Lennon said. “Through research projects like this one, we”™ll identify the data to help drive the right solutions to address the gaps between New York employers and job seekers.”
The grant was secured by the Westchester Community College Foundation. WCC”™s Division of Continuing Education and Workforce Development will coordinate the project in collaboration with regional education, business, workforce and economic development agencies, including the Westchester County Association, The Business Council of Westchester and the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp.
Also participating are the Westchester/Putnam Workforce Investment Board, the Workforce Investment Board of Rockland County, Westchester and Rockland directors of economic development, Putnam County”™s economic development Corp. and Rockland and Dutchess County community colleges.
“Employers consistently tell us that there is a mismatch between skills required and jobs available,” said Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of The Business Council of Westchester. “Resolving this gap will be the key to a strong bridge to job development and a vibrant economy.”
