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MARYLAND BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE FOR EDUCATION
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MEDIA & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Workforce Survey Press Releases To
review the entire Maryland
Workforce Educational Needs Assessment Survey
September 4, 2003 FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE CONTACT: BUSINESS
STEPS UP WITH COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY BALTIMORE, MD (9/04/2003) Responding to data that indicate half of all high school students in Maryland failed in at least one of the four subject areas of the state's new High School Assessment program, Maryland's business community will commit to a significant expansion of its efforts to support public high schools when the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRT) holds its Annual Meeting tomorrow ... see full release on 2003 Annual Meeting
April 17, 2001 FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE CONTACT: MARYLAND COMPANIES
WANTED TO PARTICIPATE BALTIMORE, MD (4/17/01) --- Over the next five weeks, employers throughout Maryland will be asked to participate in a major survey designed to determine the workforce needs of businesses statewide and how well those needs are currently being met. The survey – which takes about 15 minutes to complete and features questions on hiring and employee training practices and potential state policy actions – seeks to identify employment, educational, and workforce skills issues being faced by the state’s business community, according to survey sponsors. "By completing the survey, companies will be making educators and economic development leaders statewide more aware of the expectations business has for employees as they enter the workforce," says June Streckfus, Executive Director of the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRT), one of the survey sponsors. The survey results also will enable Maryland "to develop programs that ensure future employees have the skills they need to succeed at work and in life," according to Ms. Streckfus. MBRT is sponsoring the survey in conjunction with the Maryland Economic Development Commission, the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, the Maryland State Department of Education, the Maryland Higher Education Commission, and the Governor’s Workforce Investment Board. The survey is being conducted by Hollander, Cohen & McBride, a full-service marketing and opinion research company based in Towson, Maryland. This is the third time the sponsors have canvassed Maryland’s business community to gauge workforce needs and employer satisfaction with recent graduates. The initial workforce survey, released in October 1997, found that while 63% of the businesses surveyed hired workers with a high school education or less, the majority of them indicated that job applicants lacked the necessary reading, writing, and communications skills to succeed in the workplace. That survey also showed that manufacturing and high technology workers were in short supply, while technical skills were in high demand. Two years later, the second workforce survey indicated that a rapidly changing, technology-dependent workplace, coupled with low unemployment, was causing businesses throughout Maryland to encounter significant difficulties in finding qualified workers at all educational levels. Eighty-three percent of businesses hiring workers with bachelor’s degrees in technical or professional fields reported difficulties in finding qualified applicants, according to the second survey, while two-thirds of the businesses canvassed expressed concern about inadequate attendance and punctuality among workers with a recent high school diploma or GED certificate. Sponsors plan to compare the results of all three surveys in order to determine the level of progress that has been made, as well as the gaps that remain and specific areas for improvement. Sponsors anticipate releasing the findings of the 2001 survey next fall. Results will be sent directly to all companies that take the time to participate in the survey.
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Workforce Survey Press
Release FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
BALTIMORE, MD (10/21/99) --- A rapidly changing work environment that is increasingly reliant on technology, coupled with an unemployment rate that continues to hover at less than four percent, is causing businesses throughout Maryland to encounter significant difficulties in finding qualified workers at all education levels. According to the second Maryland Workforce Needs Survey, released today in Baltimore, 83% of Maryland businesses that hire workers with bachelor’s degrees in technical or professional fields such as business, computer science, or engineering are having difficulties in finding qualified applicants. More than three-quarters (76%) of companies hiring workers with graduate or professional degrees also report difficulties in hiring. "Only the need for workers who have less than a high school education has remained flat since the 1997 Workforce Survey, underscoring the radical changes that are occurring in the workplace and the increasing value business is placing on highly educated, highly skilled workers," notes Raymond A. "Chip" Mason, Chairman of the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRT). MBRT jointly sponsored the Workforce Needs Survey with the Maryland Economic Development Commission, the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED), the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), and the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). The survey, conducted by the market research firm of Hollander, Cohen & McBride, was designed to help Maryland educators and economic development officials keep current on the kinds of jobs available in the state, the skills required to fill those jobs, and the gaps that must be addressed in preparing students to enter the working world. "The success of Maryland’s economic development effort depends largely on our ability to build and maintain a world-class workforce," says DBED Secretary Richard C. Mike Lewin. "And while the state continues to enjoy a robust economy, the survey reinforces how critically important it is to constantly improve the quality and skills of our workers, while keeping business productivity high." The new survey clearly shows that Maryland companies are looking for – and, in many cases, having difficulty finding – highly skilled workers, including computer engineers and analysts, manufacturing workers, engineers, laboratory technicians, and other technical personnel. Supervisory and management personnel are also in high demand. According to the survey, 71% of the companies expressed both a critical need for and difficulty hiring supervisory or management personnel. Sixty-three percent are having difficulties hiring clerical, administrative, and secretarial support. In addition, nearly three-quarters (71%) of the companies surveyed are now hiring employees whose highest educational credential is a recent high school diploma or GED certificate. Company satisfaction with those employees is not high, however, with two-thirds of respondents citing inadequate attendance and punctuality and more than half observing that workers lack adequate written communications, problem solving, and math skills. Companies’ frustration with the skills and work ethic of recent hires also likely had an impact on respondents’ assessment of high schools, according to the survey. Eighteen percent of the companies surveyed ranked public high schools above average to excellent, while nearly 50% gave public high schools average marks. "Clearly, the high demand for technical proficiency and high-level skills reinforces our belief that the continued commitment Maryland has made to high academic standards is absolutely on target," says Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick. "We owe it to today’s students to let them know that high-level standards and skills are expected, and will be valued, as they enter the workplace." Maryland colleges, universities, and graduate programs fared well in the survey, with two-thirds of the companies rating them above average to excellent. And while community colleges received lower ratings than four-year colleges in preparing students for the workplace, employers indicate they are more likely to look to the community colleges for specialized training of existing employees. "Although the assessment of Maryland’s institutions of higher education is encouraging, the high demand for employees with expertise in computer and information services, business management, and engineering points out the need to constantly improve linkages between business and higher education, and expand the number of occupational courses and customized training programs offered by community colleges," notes Secretary of Higher Education Dr. Patricia S. Florestano. The survey also indicates that specialized skills training is on the rise among Maryland employers. Nearly all (92%) businesses surveyed indicate offering some type of specialized skills training – up from 68% in 1997. More than three-quarters of the respondents report having an in-house training department, while half use outside consultants or trade associations to provide training. Sponsors of the Maryland Workforce Needs Survey anticipate repeating the survey every 18 months in order to continually address the challenges and opportunities associated with workforce skills development and workforce preparedness in the state. Click here to review full 1999 survey results.
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