Employers are struggling to find workers who have the skills their company urgently needs. Often, this is referred to as a “skills gap,” or a gap between the skills a candidate has and the skills they need to qualify for the job.
In 2017, Gallup and Strada surveyed more than 32,000 college students and found that only a third of students believe they will graduate with the skills and knowledge to be successful in the job market (34%) and in the workplace (36%). The gap seems to be widening in 2021, after major disruptions to industry and education, and the skills graduates need for jobs.
The solution might seem simple: align education with the job market. However, putting this into practice is not as simple as it sounds. This is a common cause of frustration for employers and educators.
Skills Needs are a Moving Target
For employers, defining skills needs may feel like aiming at a moving target. Many companies are undergoing significant organizational changes and adopting new technologies. Most can easily identify the skills gap as a challenge, but it is becoming even more difficult to anticipate and articulate in detail what kinds of skills employees will need now and in the future.
Curriculum Changes Take Time
Curriculum design is a time-consuming process, and quality curriculum requires careful planning. Depending on the style of learning and delivery, it may take a few weeks to many months to change curriculum. The time required tends to increase with longer programs, such as bachelor’s degree programs which take more time to complete and risk greater disruption to students who are already enrolled in the program. This process, designed to ensure quality, may impact how quickly an education provider can respond to changing skills needs.
How to Align Education with the Labor Market
Aligning education programs to labor market needs requires employers and educators to collaborate with one another regularly.
Such collaboration relies on partnerships, which are built when employers reach out to educators and vice versa. Once partnerships are formed, employers must be prepared to share their current and anticipated skills needs in as much detail as possible. If needed, educators must be prepared to translate skills needs into new or modified curriculum to meet growing demand.
Steps for Employers to Create Labor Market Alignment
Making time to build more relationships may seem impossible when the need for talent is so urgent. However, engaging educators is an important part of the solution and will result in a stronger talent pipeline, now and in the future.
Depending on the level of talent your organization requires, consider reaching out to the following education partners:
| Partner Type | Description | Opportunities |
| High Schools | High schools are a great source of entry-level talent, and many offer internship opportunities to connect students to local job opportunities. | Join a business advisory group; provide career exposure opportunities like internships or guest speakers; hire graduates |
| Career and Technical Education (CTE) | CTE is available for high school students and adult learners. CTE is delivered by instructors who have worked in industry. | Join a business advisory group; provide career exposure opportunities like internships or guest speakers; hire graduates |
| Community Colleges | Community colleges offer degree programs and shorter-term programs, and some result in an industry-recognized certification. | Inform curriculum/ customized training; host internships, co-ops, or apprenticeships; hire graduates |
| Universities | Universities offer degree programs to produce graduates with a foundation of fundamental and specialized skills. | Inform curriculum; host internship, co-op, or apprenticeship opportunities for students; hire graduates |
| Private Training Providers | Private training providers are typically businesses or non-profit organizations that offer specialized trainings. | Learn about trainings offered; develop customized training; hire graduates |
Ohio-based employers can use the Business-Education Partner Map to locate partners in their area. Additionally, employers may have the opportunity to engage with policy leaders through surveys conducted by state and local leaders to identify high demand job needs and prioritize funding for training programs accordingly. When engaging in discussions with educators and policymakers, it is important to be as specific as possible about the types and number of open positions and the skills they require.
Steps for Educators to Create Labor Market Alignment
Making time to build business relationships may seem impossible when the demands on educators are so high. However, engaging employers is one of the best strategies to increase outcomes post-graduation and ensure student success in the workforce.
Engaging business partners doesn’t have to be time consuming. To reach multiple business leaders through one point of contact, consider reaching out to one or more of the following organizations:
| Partner Type | Description | Opportunities |
| Chambers of Commerce | Chambers of commerce are membership-based groups that represent the interests of businesses (multiple industries) in a certain geographic area. | Attend a chamber meeting; connect with the chamber’s workforce representative to learn about businesses that are hiring in your area; invite their participation in your business advisory groups |
| Industry/Trade Associations | Industry/trade associations are membership-based groups that represent the interests of businesses in a specific industry. | Attend an association meeting; connect with the association’s workforce representative to learn about businesses that are hiring in your area; invite their participation in your business advisory groups |
| Economic Development Organizations (EDOs) | Economic development organizations promote economic growth and development, helping companies locate or expand operations in a certain geographic area. | Connect with your local EDO to learn about current and emerging skills needs from companies that are located or are seeking to locate in your area; invite their participation in your business advisory groups |
Ohio-based educators can use the Business-Education Partner Map to locate partners in their area. In addition to engaging business partners, education leaders may choose to invest in labor market insights software to enhance their access to data and improve their institution’s knowledge of current and emerging workforce needs.
When engaging with business professionals, asking very specific questions to clear up any ambiguity about hiring needs will help you extract the information you need to translate the employer’s skills needs to curriculum.
About Workmorphis
Workmorphis provides a full suite of services to help organizations across the U.S. revitalize their workforce, including workforce planning strategies, skills transformation, diversified workforce pipeline strategies, employee support and empowerment, and more.
Connect with us to offer your insights or learn how we can help you transform your workforce.
Meet the Author
Emily Fabiano is the founder of Workmorphis, a cross-sector workforce consultancy helping organizations build a more resilient workforce to thrive in a changing economy. Fabiano has deep experience in workforce transformation at the government level, working at the cross section of workforce strategy, economic development, and public policy. With a keen understanding of the unique challenges facing today’s and tomorrow’s workforce and the ability to communicate across sectors, Fabiano brings a new level of understanding and collaboration required to address the necessary changes to better connect industry and education to prepare people for jobs.
