And why do businesses need to get on board?
Lisa Nisenfeld
is the executive director of the Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council.
It’s been over 25 years since I started my career in workforce development. And it’s always been a career than I could never really explain to my family. When asked about their mother’s job, my kids say that I go to meetings. While that’s truer than I’d like to admit, there’s a broader explanation that I’d like to share with you – and them.
Workforce development is the planning and implementation of systems that move regions toward global competitiveness. There are many players in workforce development – school systems, colleges and universities, private career schools, apprenticeship programs, state and local agencies, non-profits and more. The largest player, of course, is a business community that both employs and trains workers.
Many people ask why we need workforce development now. Won’t the market simply determine the education and training needed? Although this worked in the past, it is no longer adequate. There are significant gaps between the supply and the demand for skilled workers in health care, technology and the sciences. We have considerably more business majors and considerably fewer scientists than businesses need.
Won’t the supply of workers naturally gravitate toward the supply of jobs? Actually, it’s looking like the other way around. The supply of jobs will gravitate toward the supply of workers because that supply and demand equation is now global. We’re seeing this as many highly skilled jobs drift to Asia, at least in part because the supply isn’t available in the US. India and China have demonstrated that their economic strength is predicated on a highly educated workforce.
According to Michael Porter, head of Harvard’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, a workforce development system "bridges the traditional separate policy domains of education, labor and economic development." He sees the need for demand-driven workforce development systems that link skill-development efforts to the short- and long-term needs of the economy. That requires creating ongoing dialogue about skills and competitiveness among employers, trade associations, civic groups, economic developers and all kinds of schools, formal and informal.
Our community plans for the development of land and transportation systems. It plans for disposing of trash and for providing water and power. It even plans for jail beds. Isn’t it time to get more serious about planning to fill the gaps in our workforce system?
Shortly after taking office in 2005, Governor Gregoire established a "Global Competitiveness Council" to provide her with guidance and recommendations on how to enhance the state’s competitiveness, with an emphasis on global challenges. Council members include top leaders from business, education, the political arena, organized labor and agriculture.
The Council’s work builds on former Governor Gary Locke’s Competitiveness Council, which looked at key infrastructure and quality of life factors that affect business climate. The report issued by the council addressed five main strategies:
• Invest in Washington State’s human capital.
• Invest in Washington State’s physical capital.
• Invest in Washington State’s intellectual capital.
• Market Washington State’s superior portfolio.
• Promote a stable, consistent political environment.
Governor Gregoire’s Council has just published its recommendations. They include increased investment in the skills of the workforce, as well as creating seamlessness within the education system, raising standards in education and improved workforce preparation. Those are all worthwhile recommendations that will require a sense of urgency and commitment from all partners – including business – if they are to succeed.
Success requires planning and strong political will at all levels. Is Southwest Washington ready to engage in that dialogue? How can it happen? If you run a business and want to talk about these issues, the Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council wants to talk with you. Give me a call at 360-567-1073 and let’s get started.
