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Final Report: Introduction
Congressman Jim Kolbe opened the session by stating that the
focus of discussions would be the development of the future
workforce in the local Tucson area. Although the events of
September 11 have caused a short-term recession, the long-term
outlook for the economy is strong. Certain trends indicate
an upcoming shortage of workers:
- Six million baby-boomers are
due to retire in the near future
- Unemployment rates have been
lower than ever
- Displaced workers are finding
replacement jobs faster than ever before
- Most pools of labor have been
exhausted
- Growth has been in
professional services and information technology, those
careers that require higher education, and a high school
diploma is no longer adequate.
Where are we going to find the new
workers? One source is immigration, which has been crucial
to the U.S. economy. Immigrants provide an important labor
source, and their children go on to higher education and highly
skilled professions.
Opening Address: Identifying
Trends in Workforce Needs
Mary Jo Waits, Associate Director of the Morrison Institute for
Public Policy at Arizona State University, began the morning
session with the question “what is the modern economy?”
Characteristics of today’s economy include:
- Technology is a given.
There is no such thing any more as a low-tech industry.
Using the example of a prepackaged salad mix, Ms. Waits
stressed a focus on using technology to sell ordinary
products, rather than on the technology itself.
- Globalism is here to stay,
largely due to our use of information technology. We
have been thinking global in terms of product, but not
necessarily in terms of services. Today’s
neighborhood antique store needs to think about global
competition such as eBay.
- Knowledge builds wealth.
Ideas come in all shapes and sizes. Knowing how to
apply technical knowledge to meet a need is the key to
building a successful business.
- People are the most important
resources.
- More people than ever are
going to work in office and services rather than factories
and farms.
- Using the analogy of the
“cappuccino economy”, Ms. Waits talked about today’s
high growth, fast moving companies swirling around the
economy like the milk layer on top, and the slow moving
traditional companies like the coffee layer below. In
today’s economy, both layers are learning from each other.
- Competition is relentless, and
it’s coming from all directions, not just direct industry
competitors. Industries are converging and competing
with themselves. The name of the game is alliances,
partnerships with those who can put the total package
together.
- Location still matters, but
for different reasons. Today’s companies are
locating in places where they can access knowledge and
capital, the best and most educated workforce, research
institutions that give them a competitive advantage, a
network of suppliers, and a good climate and quality of
life.
Solutions Panel: Success Stories
and Best Practices
Community leaders shared information about programs that model
best practices in workforce development.
Dr. John Taylor, Dean of the
College of Education at University of Arizona, discussed the
first year’s results of the innovative Teach for Tucson
program, a fast track masters level teaching certification
program aimed at training math and science teachers.
Harold Craig, Director of the
Fred G. Acosta Job Corp Center shared about the mission to
assist students, 80% of which are high school dropouts, in
minimizing barriers on the way to gaining job training and
meaningful employment. He acknowledged Job Corps’
relationship with Haskell Electric, one of over 500 local
employers who hire Job Corps graduates, as an example of a
successful community partnership.
Henry (Hank) Atha, Director of
Community and Workforce Services, Pima County talked about the
human side of the new economy and the challenge of making
government relevant in a way that provides an infrastructure to
allow the business economy to function. He discussed Pima
County’s One Stop Displaced Worker Program as an example of a
best practice.
Michael Lupien, Technical
Advisor, Pima Works.com and COO of Broadband Laboratories
described his company’s Internet based recruitment tool, which
matches workers with available jobs, based on skill inventories,
and with training opportunities to address the gaps.
PimaWorks.com is in the final test phase and will be launched in
Pima County within 30 days, in conjunction with Workforce
Investment Act funding.
Joseph Coyle, Vice President of
Human Resources and Communications, Raytheon Systems Company
spoke about the business role in developing the workforce. To
retain an effective workforce, management’s challenge is to
recruit and develop employees in a short time span. An
important skill for management is the ability to communicate
clear goals, sending the same message to all employees, and to
offer good education and health care benefit packages.
Keynote Address
Jeanette K. Harrison, Director of
Technology Manufacturing Group Training for Intel Corporation,
delivered an energetic talk, continuing on the theme that the
value of the corporation rests within their employees. To
keep up with today’s rate of change, a successful business
must produce, define, develop, manufacture and profit within
less than 18 months. We must capitalize on the brilliance
of individuals whose ideas are changing the face of industry
today. To do this, we must shift our focus to the learner
and look at what motivates them to learn and perform at their
top levels. Technology continues to change the face of how we
live. We must ensure that everyone is trained in the tools
and technology they need, and we must continually re-evaluate
our own training methods and technologies.
Panel: Focus on the Future
The afternoon panel discussed the impact of the September 11
tragedy on the economy and the changes that have taken place in
our society. Panelists were:
- Steve Shalit, General Manager,
The
Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa
- Sally Garza Fernandez,
President, Southern Arizona
Industry and Aerospace Alliance
- Kendall Bert, Director, City
of Tucson Office of Economic Development
- Dr. Philip Silvers, Assistant
Vice Chancellor for Research and Planning, Pima
Community College
- Jodi Horton, President and
Executive Director, Pima
& Santa Cruz School to Work Partnership, Inc.
- Lily McCarthy, Managing
Director, Right Management
Consultants
Mr. Shalit, who has been with The
Westin La Paloma for twenty six years, said that the last two
weeks have been the worst he’s ever experienced. Ms. Fernandez
pointed out that previous to September 11, many businesses had
laid off employees due to a slowdown in aerospace industries.
Since that date we have experienced a sharp increase in certain
types of orders, but we are short on workers because we had
previously laid people off. Mr. Bert stressed that he
can’t say it’s business as usual, but that the City is
trying to keep the focus on the creation of high quality jobs
and be sure people are trained to fill those jobs. Ms.
Horton advised educators to stay the course. We need to show
kids how the academic subjects are going to be carried out in
the world of work. Dr. Silvers stressed the importance
developmental education in Pima Community College to enable
people to make a living wage. Nine out of ten need
remedial work in math; seven out of ten in writing, and half in
reading. Ms McCarthy explored the question of how
organizations create a workforce that is career resilient and
able to adjust to the need for new competencies. Once the
economy improves, workers will remember how they were treated at
the time when the economy was tight.
Closing Remarks
Congressman Kolbe summarized by saying that life changed on
September 11, but he remains very confident about the future and
America’s ability to deal with the changes which will be
taking place. While it may seem strange to be talking
about workforce development at a time of recession, it remains a
crucial issue.
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