EPI challenges STEM worker shortage

from EPI (thanks to Mary R.) - click the links to EPI's site:

April 26, 2013
GUESTWORKERS

EPI analysis finds no shortage of STEM workers in the United States

The immigration debate is complicated and polarizing, but the implications of the data for enacting high-skill guestworker policy are clear: Immigration policies that facilitate large flows of guestworkers will supply labor at wages that are too low to induce significant increases in supply from the domestic workforce. In the new EPI report Guestworkers in the high-skill U.S. labor market, Hal Salzman of Rutgers University, Daniel Kuehn of American University, and B. Lindsay Lowell of Georgetown University find little evidence to support expansion of high-skill guestworker programs as proposed in the immigration bill being debated in the Senate. Contrary to many industry claims, the study finds that U.S. colleges and universities provide an ample supply of highly qualified science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduates.

GUESTWORKERS

“Gang of Eight” bill could give half of new IT jobs requiring a college degree to guestworkers

Despite the large number of highly qualified STEM graduates from U.S. colleges and universities, this week’s Economic Snapshot shows that the comprehensive immigration bill introduced by the Senate “Gang of Eight” could give nearly half of new IT jobs requiring a college degree to guestworkers.

Literacy Means Business Forum Highlights

Literacy Council of Northern Virginia  _________________________________________________ On April 18, LCNV began a critical dialogue about bridging the gap between adult literacy and language education, and our region's workforce needs. Everyone involved - from the emcee, moderator, and panelists to volunteers, and in-person and online participants -- helped make Literacy Means Business a successful forum.  Literacy Means Business is just the start of a much longer conversation, which needs to continue. Stay connected with us in the following ways:  Click here to view the full 1.5 hour forum.   *Watch Jeff Connor-Naylor's Report (5:54). Listen to Laura Patching's comments (26:03 and 47:08). Hear Johan Uvin's report (31:16, 53:27, and 1:11:43).    Keep the discussion going on Twitter using @LCNV.     Become a LCNV volunteer. Register for the ESOL Tutor Training Workshop. Attend LCNV's Annual Recognition Event on June 20. Hear from our students about the different ways literacy has changed their lives.    Like us on Facebook and share our posts.

Arlington accepts IT workforce grant for veterans

Arlington County Board Accepts State Grant to Connect Veterans to High-Demand IT Careers

April 20, 2013 

• Local IT industry to assist in coordinating hiring
• $150,000 state grant
• More than 50 veterans to be served

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Arlington County Board today accepted a $150,000 state grant to train military veterans and connect them with careers in the high-growth, high-demand Information Technology (IT) field.

“There is a huge local demand for credentialed IT workers,” said Arlington County Board Chairman J.  Walter Tejada. “It is an honor to be able to give something back to the veterans who have served this country so well, and to help equip them for these IT career opportunities.”

Arlington County is working with the City of Alexandria and others in a regional partnership for the new initiative, called IT Jobs for Veterans.

The partnership is funded by a $150,000 Virginia Workforce Investment Act Rapid Response Assistance grant from Gov. Bob McDonnell and Virginia’s Community College System. The Alexandria/Arlington Workforce Investment Board received the funding for this partnership between Alexandria City, Arlington County, the Virginia Employment Commission, Northern Virginia Community College, and Acentia.  Acentia, a private employer, is representing the local IT industry and will assist in coordinating the hiring of this program’s graduates.

This innovative partnership is expected to serve more than 50 veterans over an 18-month period. The grant covers all the program’s education, certification, and job training activities.

Veterans and employers interested in learning more about the IT Jobs for Veteransprogram should visit itjobsforveterans.org or contact Arlington Employment Center.

The Board voted 5 to 0 to accept the grant as part of its Consent Agenda.

ARLnow: Arlington to Hold Girls’ Firefighting Camp

reposted from ARLnow.

by Michael Doyle | April 15, 2013 at 10:05 am | 592 views | 17 Comments and 0 Reactions

An innovative summer camp could spark new career ambitions among high school-aged girls in Arlington who feel up for a challenge. Long term, it could also help the Arlington County Fire Department meet its goal of recruiting more female firefighters.

The Girls’ Fire Camp, a free overnight camp scheduled for July 12-14, is designed to give girls aged 13 to 16 a taste of the firefighter’s life. Participants will work out, run drills and learn skills — all under the close supervision of ACFD staff. The department’s recruiting officer, Capt. Brandon D. Jones, described the camp as a “fun-filled weekend” in which high school students will “learn how to stay in great shape” while performing basic firefighting and emergency medical tasks.

“The department hopes to make a long-term connection with the participants,” Jones said. “After they attend this camp, some may be inspired to continue their ambition to become a Firefighter/EMT in the future.”

Though Arlington was the first fire department in the country to hire a female professional firefighter, in 1974, it has struggled like other departments nationwide to recruit women for the traditionally male profession.  Currently, females comprise about 9 percent of the 300-plus member Arlington department.  Nationwide, only about 6 percent of firefighters are women.

As recruiters get more creative in their quest for diversity, fire camps for high school girls have proliferated. Since the Tucson Fire Department joined with the neighboring Northwest Fire/Rescue District to open its inaugural Camp Fury  for girls in 2009, other jurisdictions have followed suit. The Ashland Fire Department in Massachusetts runs a Camp Bailout, the New Hampshire State Fire Academy runs a Camp Fully Involved and the Utica Fire Academy in New York offers the Phoenix Firecamp.

“The camp is a really great idea,” said Capt. Anne Marsh, an EMS supervisor and 15-year veteran of the Arlington department. “We want our department to represent the general population. So many people come into the fire department as part of a family legacy, and women have simply not had as many role models to follow.”

Campers will spend the two nights, with chaperones, at Marymount University. During the days, they will participate in activities that include physical training, a fire extinguisher class, hose drills and an aerial ladder demonstration. They will tour the Arlington fire stations and, treat of treats, dine with the on-duty crews.

Job-hopping millennials are no different than their parents

from CNN Money:

By Annalyn Kurtz @CNNMoney April 9, 2013: 7:20 AM ET

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Millennials job hop only slightly more frequently than their parents, but of course there are exceptions. James Carroll had 17 jobs by the time he turned 25. Click the photo to read his story and others.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

The job-hopping millennial is not so different from their parents ... at least not yet.

The average 25-year-old has already worked 6.3 jobs between the ages of 18 and 25, according to a recent study by the Labor Department.

Sound like a lot? That's more than their parents' generation, but not by much.
The youngest baby boomers (those currently between ages 50 and 55) worked an average of 5.5 jobs by age 25.

And by the time they reached their forties, the boomers worked about 11 jobs -- equivalent to a job change roughly every two years.

"Look at the millennials and everyone says they're very different. But if you look across the generations, the values are the same. They're just expressed differently and they manifest themselves differently," said Sayed Sadjady, principal with PwC's People and Change practice.

Sadjady points to the advent of online career boards as leading to increased churn in the job market overall. If older generations had that same kind of access to so many job listings and recruiters when they were young, they may have jumped around even more too.

"There's more visibility as to what are the available open positions, what jobs are going and where the needs are," he said. "Conversely, there's a lot of visibility into talent. Recruiters have an easier time than in the past of identifying individuals because of things such as LinkedIn."
Meanwhile, today's 20-somethings seem to have overly conservative expectations for their own careers.

A PwC study of about 4,300 college-educated millennials found that 54% expect to work for between two and five employers over their entire careers.

"It's an extreme underestimation," Sadjady said.

A separate study of workers ages 21 to 31, found on average, they expect to work only five jobs total during their lifetimes.

In reality, it will probably end up being more like 12 to 15 jobs, said Alexandra Levit, co-author of the study, which was commissioned by DeVry University's Career Advisory Board and conducted by Harris Interactive.

There are differences within the generation. The youngest millennials -- those between the ages of 21 to 25 -- graduated college after the recession and expect to work fewer jobs than millennials in the 26 to 31 age bracket, the Career Advisory Board study found.

"The millennials coming out of the recession have become a lot more conservative and cautious about their careers than previously," Levit said. "They've been humbled. Those coming out of college post recession are scared out of their minds by the recession." 

First Published: April 9, 2013: 6:02 AM ET

Local Employment Webinar - April 12, 9am

Webinar:  Local Employment Dynamics: Workforce Statistics for Your Community
Friday, April 12th 2013
9:00am - 11:00am EST 
This free two-hour webinar will introduce you to new time series data and tools created under the federal-state Local Employment Dynamics (LED) Partnership that provides unprecedented detailed information about local jobs, workers, and economic conditions.

LED integrates data from state administrative records on workers and employers with existing Census Bureau censuses, surveys, and other administrative records, while protecting confidentiality of all respondents.  The LED program includes three powerful tools—Quarterly Workforce Indicators, Industry Focus and OnTheMap.

The LED data will allow you understand your local economy and to stay ahead of economic trends.  You will be able to answer questions like the following:

    Where do my community’s workers live?
    What are the dominate sectors in the local economy?
     What type of industries are hiring?
     Where is the demand for labor greatest?

LED data is free and accessible through interactive tools on the census.gov website. This webinar will teach you not only how to access timely local economic and workforce data, but also how to view and manipulate data in interactive tables and maps. At the end of the webinar, you will have a good introduction to the LED and a solid understanding of the data available for your community.

Webinar details
Date:            Friday, April 12th
Time:            9:00 – 11:00 am EST
To  register:  Go to https://census.webex.com/census/j.php?ED=201515027&RG=1&UID=0&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D

Once the host approves your request, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the meeting.  If you have any questions, please email lsturte2@gmu.edu.