Do you ever have those days when you are a news junkie? I mean you wake up in the morning get your cup of coffee, grab the remote and manically start flipping channels looking for a palatable news channel. I was having one of those days last week when I stumbled across a segment of CBS Money Watch. Commentator Jeff Glor compared the top three college majors with the highest unemployment rate to the best three college majors for hot job prospects. Clinical Psychology, Fine Arts and U.S. History majors recently experienced between a 15.1% and 19.5% unemployment rate while jobs were abundant for graduates who majored in Actuarial Science, Geological Engineering and Pharmacology. To avoid the disconnect between college major and employment reality Nicole Williams, Connections Director at LinkedIn advised students to network, seek internships and major in skill specific disciplines. I found myself shaking my head in agreement as she spoke and as the segment ended I scribbled down the equation Education + Business = Economic Growth.

According to research done for the publication Help Wanted we already know that by 2018 we anticipate 22 million new workers will be needed for jobs that most definitely will require a college degree. Since the US is a service economy these jobs will be servicing information systems, education, government, financial services, business and healthcare. STEM occupations will be in high demand but workers must have post- secondary education to qualify for these jobs. According to The Center on Education and the Workforce in the publication The Undereducated American by Anthony P. Carnevale and Stephen J. Rose, “America has been under producing college educated workers since 1980.” During the 20th century prior to 1980 the supply of educated workers kept pace with business demand. In 1980 the trend began to turn, the demand exceeded the supply of workers. By 2006 the US National Academies loudly voiced their concern about the lack of educated college talent to move into STEM positions. They even went on record with suggestions on how to rectify the devastating effect the under education was having on our economy. Their solutions included improving K-12 math and science programs, upgrading teacher training in math and science, and encouraging more students to study math and science in post- secondary schools. . If we keep education status quo we will find ourselves 3 million qualified workers short to meet the job demand in 2018.

American business needs to stop bellyaching about not being able to find skilled workers and start using this recession as an opportunity to influence how public education and higher education prepare students to come into the workforce. American corporations need to step up and create opportunities for students to meet the demands of the workforce they are going into. It is not too late to salvage the imbalance in the workforce and turn the economy around.

American businesses can:

• Use R& D statistics to help set federal guidelines for public education curriculum

• Engage state DOE’s in dialogue to promote skills needed to move from K-12 to work readiness

• Adopt school districts and let industry workers do community service with children in schools:
exposing students to different careers, sponsoring career days, work visits, job shadowing, mentoring students, develop financial readiness programs for students

• Work with teachers to do a co-op exchange program so that educators can experience what skills are needed in the workplace instead of speculating what is needed

• Provide internships in different areas of the business for both high school and college students

• Provide summer youth employment for a stipend (good way to start youth initiation into work habit, introduction to business, chance to guide students toward post-secondary education

• Offer scholarships from your industry with diverse criteria to encourage high school graduates to pursue
post-secondary education and college students to continue on to graduate school

• Partner with colleges to provide continuing education and certificate programs for employees

What does business get out of these initiatives?

• More educated workforce from entry level to executive
• Profits based on human capital generated from more educated and capable workforce
• Input into the public education curriculum to create a connection between education and business
• Access to new and innovative thinking in the early stages
• More diverse work group because of early public education access
• Less company expense for remedial training
• Competitive pool of educated people for possible employment
• Business loyalty and goodwill

Education + Business = Economic Growth

Please remember to take look at the APLS Online store for fascinating reads and the latest training materials.

Education and business go together like peanut butter and jelly. During the current recession business seems to have forgotten that education is the key to economic recovery. We only have to take a short journey back to 1944 when President Roosevelt signed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act better known as the G.I. Bill to understand the relationship between education and business.

When the economy collapsed during the Great Depression Americans looked towards better education to increase the possibility of employment. Between 1930 and 1940 there was a significant spike in high school graduation rates from 30 percent to 50 percent. Add to that the soldiers returning from World War II and the GI Bill was responsible for the explosion in college attendance. By 1947 the veterans made up 49 percent of all college admissions. If we reflect on those times we will realize that the rise in an educated work force helped make General Motors, R.C.A., U.S. Steel, and I.B.M. the giants of industry. It also was the beginning of the middle class.

We know that an educated workforce has value. In the 1960’s economist Theodore Schultz coined the term “human capital” to refer to the value of human capabilities. He saw education as an investment in human capital that helped improve business production. According to Thijs van Rens, a researcher and Affiliated Professor at Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, in his article, The Value of an Educated Workforce: What We Learn From a Comparison Growth and Inequality Across Countries he wrote:

“….the average worker in an average country that went to school for seven years
earns about 14% more on her first job than another worker that dropped out after
six years in school in her first job. Twenty years later, the difference between their
wage is still about 14%. Increasing the average education level of the entire workforce
in an average country by one year increases that country’s output by about 8% initially, suggesting the social return is similar to or even a bit lower than the private return. However, eventually the extra year of education raises that country’s output by as much as 42%.”

We are struggling in a paralyzing recession. We need an educated workforce to come up with good old American ingenuity to get us back on track. It is imperative that we teach our young people the importance of securing a good education and the impact it has on their personal growth and the economy as a whole. Unfortunately American secondary schools are saddled with No Child Left Behind, budget cuts, and shrinking graduation rates. College attendance is at an all -time high but college graduation rates are stagnant. Community colleges are coming to the rescue by providing entry level academic programs, technical programs and vocational programs. In addition, community colleges are functioning as the financial alternative and gateway to four year colleges. They are providing the additional post- secondary education that is needed to move the country’s economy forward at an affordable cost.

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This blog was written as a means to begin a continuing dialogue with my readers and fans of nancisnotions.com. Hopefully I have stimulated some reactions, insights and passion. What are your thoughts about the value of an educated workforce on business? Does more education mean higher wages and less profit for business or better ideas and more profit? Come on, share your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you!

HAPPY NEW YEAR
January is the most intriguing month of the year. It has an air of mystery with a hint of experience lingering in the background. It is the month that begins with the New Year’s Eve echo of Auld Lang Syne, a salute to the past and reflections on days gone by. But like a phoenix January rises ripe with resolutions, fresh ideas and plans for renewal. In keeping with the fiercely motivating power of January APLS Group is ready to unveil our plans for an exciting 2012.
APLS Group is proud to announce that Nanci Appleman-Vassil, CLO and Founder of APLS Group, has been awarded membership into NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science. The not-for-profit membership organization has been in the forefront of working with adult learners since the 1940’s and continues today educating adults about the influence human behavior has on diversity, international relations, social justice, organizations, leadership, systems and groups. Nanci will use her expertise from her work at APLS Group to extend the influence of applied behavioral science in promoting better communication and understanding between people in business and interpersonal situations.
Nanci’s Notions enlisted help to keep her blog on the right track. This year Coach Nanci arrives on the scene with tips for better business practices. She will be blogging twice a month on issues in one of four major topics. The topics will be featured quarterly as follows:
• Education
• Communication
• Teams
• Leadership
We are grateful for your support of Nanci’s Notions. This year we plan to be more interactive by answering comments online and providing specific resources to help our readers delve further into the blog topics. The APLS Online Store is building inventory daily. The online store features products that are easily accessible to readers, trainers and consultants.
APLS Group is developing a new division devoted to education. Training and education are often viewed as synonymous but each is actually an independent entity. APLS Group will continue to provide training services to organizations. The education sector will concentrate on post high school and career development with an emphasis on students (16 -25 years old). APLS Group is meeting with teachers, counselors and interest groups that work with young people to design effective, results-oriented programming for post high school education.
Coach Nanci is overseeing the content for the book 18 Common Mistakes that Small Business Owners Make. She has ideas for every page but we have had to curb her enthusiasm. APLS Group will release the long awaited book in 2012. Be sure to look for Coach Nanci at a book signing near you.
Happy New Year! Read the blog in Nanci’s Notions on January 9th.