San Bernardino County Workforce Needs Assessment Report

Transcription

1 San Bernardino County Workforce Needs Assessment Report Prepared by: Sunnary Thong Institutional Research Chaffey College May 5 th, 2005

2 Presentation Overview: Purpose of the study Key elements identified by JESD, Crafton Hills College, Chaffey College, and the Alliance for Education Methodology Research Selection Participants Data Collection Instrument Results Employer s Responses Critical elements of employer feedback Findings Conclusions

3 Purpose of Research: Take an in-depth look at San Bernardino County s workforce Provide important employment and workforce data for San Bernardino County Examine the needs of businesses and employers in San Bernardino County Informed decision making to improve the quality of the workforce Establish a connection and build a good relationship with local businesses and employers

4 Methodology: Identification of Population Surveyed JESD provided the list of all the licensed businesses in San Bernardino County Selection of Participants Crafton Hills College provided the random sample of 10,000 business that would be included in the survey Industry a Sample Size b Response Rate c Administrative Assistants % Construction % Healthcare % Manufacturing % Retail Trade % Transportation % Total 10, % a The type of industries surveyed; b The random sample by industry (SIC codes); c The percent of responses

5 Methodology (continued): Data Collection Phase I: San Bernardino County Workforce Needs Survey 1.) Paper copied surveys 2.) Web-based surveys Phase II: Employer Follow-Up Questionnaire 1.) Response clarification 2.) Expanded explanation

6 Results: Geographic Area of Workforce Riverside County 11% Morongo Basin 4% Orange County 4% Los Angeles County 7% San Diego County 1% Other 1% San Bernardino County East 26% Mountain Communities 5% High Desert 16% San Bernardino County West 25%

7 Factors in Choosing the Location of Business: Major factors influencing the present location: 27% Expansion Opportunities 29% Community Environment 22% Affordable Housing 29% Other Affordable rent for businesses Location Higher visibility, close to the freeways Company outlook for the next year: 20% Growth by at least 20% 20% Growth less than 20% with expansion 20% Growth less than 20% and holding

8 Attributes and General Workplace Skill: Important skills needed in the workplace: Personal workplace ethics Customer service skills Oral communication skills Team work skills Job specific skills Important skills lacking acking in the workplace: Proficient problem solving skills Oral communication skills General knowledge of business or industry Proficient with computers Proficient math skills

9 Barriers to Finding and Retaining Qualified Employees: Major obstacles in retaining qualified employees : Poor work ethics Lack of job specific skills Lack of transportation to and from work Employees dissatisfied with work hours Challenges encountered by employers: Unfavorable business climate Unable to find markets for my product or services Need for employee training on an ongoing basis Recruiting skilled employees

10 Findings: The study revealed that the current workforce is lacking skilled, qualified, employees with good work ethics The current workforce is lacking problem solving skills There is a large language barrier present Monolingual Spanish There is a need for more vocational training locally The current workforce lacks the proper education to get the job done It is difficult finding entry level or experienced employees

11 Conclusion: San Bernardino County has an emerging and existing workforce that needs a better foundation in strong work ethical qualities, ability to problem solve, ability to communicate effectively in both verbal and writing skills In addition to the technical skills of the job; training providers, vocational and technical schools, and educational institutions can incorporate soft skills into the curriculum of the course Work ethics (SCANS) Offer incentive for employees who return back to school to update their skills, advance their education (tuition reimbursement) Employer responsibilities

12 Discussion: