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Virginia Employers Speak
More than 300 Employers:
•Rated 21 different skills;
•Submitted comments;
•Offered recommendations.
Responses confirm national
surveys.
Skills Rated “Essential”
1 Positive Work Ethic 96%
2 Speaking & Listening 96%
3 Professional Ethics 95%
4 Teamwork 89%
5 Reading & Writing 89%
6 Diversity Awareness 82%
7 Reasoning/Problem Solving 76%
8 Technology Applications 68%
9 Health, Wellness, & Safety 67%
10 Understanding the Big Picture 64%
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Finalizing Virginia’s Skills List
A final skill list was created in thelight of:
• Employer comments;
• Current Career andTechnical Educationcurriculum.
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Virginia’s Skills Include
Personal Qualities & People Skills
Professional Knowledge & Skills
Technology Knowledge & Skills
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Personal Qualities & People Skills
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1. Positive Work Ethic
2. Integrity
3. Teamwork
4. Self-Representation
5. Diversity Awareness
6. Conflict Resolution
7. Creativity and Resourcefulness
Professional Knowledge & Skills
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8. Speaking and Listening
9. Reading and Writing
10. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
11. Health and Safety
12. Organizations, Systems, and Climates
13. Lifelong Learning
14. Job Acquisition and Advancement
15. Time, Task, Resource Management
16. Mathematics
17. Customer Service
Technology Knowledge & Skills
18. Job-Specific Technologies
19. Information Technology
20. Internet Use and Security
21. Telecommunications
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Virginia Workplace Readiness Skills Are:
•Targeted to the needs of the
modern workplace;
•Based on 25 years of local and
national research and experience;
•Attuned to the CTE curriculum.
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Employers Have A Role to Play
Achsah Carrier
Demographics & Workforce GroupWeldon Cooper Center for Public Service
University of Virginia
www.coopercenter.org/demographics
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References
Casner-Lotto, Jill and Barrington L. Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers' Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce. Society for Human Resource Management, in collaboration with The Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. 2006.
Martin, Julia, Achsah Carrier, and Elizabeth Hill. Virginia’s Changing Workplace: Employers Speak. Weldon Cooper Center. 1996.
Martin, Julia, Donna Tolson. Changing Job Skills in Virginia. Tayloe Murphy Institute. 1985.
Morisi ,Theresa. “The Early 2000s: A Period of Declining Teen Summer Employment Rates.” Monthly Labor Review. May 2010, 23-35.
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Framework for 21st Century Learning. 2009.
Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills. What Work Requires of Schools. SCANS. 1991.
Sum, Andrew, et al., Vanishing Work Among U.S. Teens, 2000-10: What A Difference a Decade Makes! Four Million Missing Workers in June 2010. Prepared for the Charles S. Mott Foundation. July 2010.
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