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What does research tell us about identifying critical workforce skills and competencies that are needed for high-demand occupational sectors?

Response:

Thank you for the question you submitted to our REL Reference Desk regarding critical skills and competencies for high-demand occupational sectors. We have prepared the following memo with research references to help answer your question. For each reference, we provide an abstract, excerpt, or summary written by the study’s author or publisher. The references are selected from the most commonly used research resources and may not be comprehensive. Other relevant studies may exist. We have not evaluated the quality of these references, but provide them for your information only.

Research References

1. Burrus, J., Jackson, T., Xi, N., & Steinberg, J. (2013). Identifying the most important 21st century workforce competencies: An analysis of the Occupational Information Network (O* NET). ETS Research Report Series, 13-21.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1109948
   From the abstract: “To identify the most important competencies for college graduates to succeed in the 21st century workforce, we conducted an analysis of the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) database. O*NET is a large job analysis operated and maintained by the U.S. Department of Labor. We specifically analyzed ratings of the importance of abilities (52 ratings), work styles (16 ratings), skills (35 ratings), and knowledge (33 ratings) to succeed in one's occupation. First, we conducted descriptive analyses. Next, data were split into 2 sets, according to the theoretical structure proposed by the O*NET content model, and principal component analyses (PCAs) were run on each dataset. The PCAs identified 15 components: problem solving, mechanical skills, service orientation, cultural literacy, business literacy, science literacy, civic literacy, information processing, athleticism, visual acuity, fluid intelligence, communication skills, teamwork, achievement/innovation, and attention to detail/near vision. Components were then ranked in importance using the mean component scores over all occupations. A comparison of this ranking with previous 21st century competencies frameworks suggested that 5 competencies stand out as important for most occupations: problem solving (e.g., complex problem solving), fluid intelligence (e.g., category flexibility), teamwork (e.g., cooperation), achievement/innovation (e.g., persistence), and communication skills (e.g., oral expression). Consistent with this conclusion, a correlation of component scores with wages found that 4 of these 5 competencies were strongly related to wages, with the exception being teamwork.”
2. Fletcher Jr, E. C. & Tyson, W. (2017). Bridging technical skills gaps between high school students and local employers. Journal of Research in Technical Careers, 1(1), 20-31.
   https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jrtc/vol1/iss1/4/
   From the abstract: “The purpose of this study was to explore how technical skills taught and learned in Florida engineering and engineering technology-themed career academies fit technical skills desired by local employers in technology and manufacturing. The analysis utilized the narratives of 70 students and four teachers from career academies at four high schools and 27 industry leaders from the same geographical region of Florida. Data interpretation led to understanding that employers expressed an urgent need for technical skills using appropriate equipment and technologies, teachers were teaching students technical skills by simulating the real-world work environment, and students valued their abilities to transform their classroom project ideas into tangible products.”
3. Kivunja, C. (2014). Do you want your students to be job-ready with 21st century skills? Change pedagogies: A pedagogical paradigm shift from Vygotskyian social constructivism to critical thinking, problem solving and Siemens’ digital connectivism. International Journal of Higher Education, 3(3), 81-91.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1067554
   From the abstract: “As Michael Fullan (2001) so cogently asserts, the moral purpose of education is to equip students with the skills that will enable them to be productive citizens when they finish school. Whereas pre-21st century learning paradigms catered reasonably well for the pursuit of this moral purpose in turning out school leavers with specialized skills that were applicable in highly compartmentalized and specialized Industrial Age economies, 21st century skills require a new paradigm. In their seminal book entitled 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times, Trilling and Fadel (2009) eloquently elaborate on the essential skills for 21st century learning and occupations. I call the adoption of these essential skills the pedagogical paradigm shift. According to these leaders in the field, the essential skills for 21st century learning and occupations fall into four domains. First are the core subjects and skills such as the orthodoxy 3Rs that every educated person should have mastery of. Second is the learning and innovations skills domain requiring skills such as critical thinking and problem solving. The third is the career and life skills domain, calling for skills such as collaboration, teamwork and leadership. Fourth, is the digital literacy skills domain, requiring skills such as computer literacy and digital fluency. While computers and digital technologies play a central role in the development and utilization of the skills, the more essential skills for 21st century learning and occupations relate not just to the application of technology but more importantly, to the ability to engage in independent critical thinking, and a high level of problem solving, often using technology. This paper reviews the learning paradigms that have guided pedagogy over the centuries and argues that a shift is needed in pedagogy and curriculum towards a paradigm that emphasizes critical thinking and problem solving as proposed by Trilling and Fadel (2009) within the social connectivist paradigm as well articulated by Siemens rather than the dominant Vygotskyian social constructivist paradigm.”
4. Mason, J. L., Johnston, E., Berndt, S., Segal, K., Lei, M., & Wiest, J. S. (2016). Labor and skills gap analysis of the biomedical research workforce. The FASEB Journal, 30(8), 2673-2683.
   http://www.fasebj.org/doi/full/10.1096/fj.201500067R
   From the abstract: “The United States has experienced an unsustainable increase of the biomedical research workforce over the past 3 decades. This expansion has led to a myriad of consequences, including an imbalance in the number of researchers and available tenure-track faculty positions, extended postdoctoral training periods, increasing age of investigators at first U.S. National Institutes of Health R01 grant, and exodus of talented individuals seeking careers beyond traditional academe. Without accurate data on the biomedical research labor market, challenges will remain in resolving these problems and in advising trainees of viable career options and the skills necessary to be productive in their careers. We analyzed workforce trends, integrating both traditional labor market information and real-time job data. We generated a profile of the current biomedical research workforce, performed labor gap analyses of occupations in the workforce at regional and national levels, and assessed skill transferability between core and complementary occupations. We conclude that although supply into the workforce and the number of job postings for occupations within that workforce have grown over the past decade, supply continues to outstrip demand. Moreover, we identify practical skill sets from real-time job postings to optimally equip trainees for an array of careers to effectively meet future workforce demand.”
5. Zheng, X., Stapleton, L. M., Henneberger, A. K., & Woolley, M. E. (2016). Assessing the workforce outcomes of Maryland science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) postsecondary graduates. Baltimore, MD: Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED569176
   Excerpt from the executive summary: “Using data from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS), students who earned postsecondary degrees in STEM fields were followed into the workforce to examine their wages, industry in which they were employed, and retention in the Maryland workforce. Overall, the number of STEM postsecondary degrees earned increased over time. STEM bachelor’s, associate, and master’s degrees had the most pronounced increase across the years examined (2008-2009 through 2012-2013). STEM postsecondary degree earners were predominantly male, white, and non-Hispanic. For all postsecondary degree levels, less than 50% of degree earners received wages in Maryland for four quarters in the first calendar year following graduation. For the degree earners who were found to be receiving wages in four quarters in the first calendar year following graduation, STEM associate degree earners earned the lowest median four quarter wages, followed by STEM certificate earners, and STEM bachelor’s degree earners. STEM master’s and STEM doctorate degree earners earned the highest four quarter wages in the first calendar year following graduation. This report also includes information on the distribution of four quarter wages in the first calendar year after graduation for Maryland STEM degree earners by program area and the top 3 industries employing Maryland STEM degree earners for four quarters in the first calendar year after graduation.”
6. Zilinski, L., Sapp Nelson, M. R., & Van Epps, A. S. (2014). Developing professional skills in STEM students: Data information literacy. Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, 77.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1048212
   From the abstract: “Undergraduate STEM students are increasingly expected to have some data use skills upon graduation, whether they pursue post-graduate education or move into industry. This project was an initial foray into the application of data information literacy competencies to training undergraduate students to identify markers of data and information quality. The data consumer training appeared within two courses to help students evaluate data objects, including databases and datasets available on the Internet. The application of the Data Credibility Checklist provides a foundation for developing data reuse competencies. Based upon the initial presentation of the content, it became obvious that students need very basic introductions to data concepts, including definitions for database and dataset, and the process of data object discovery.”

Additional Organizations to Consult

• Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce: https://cew.georgetown.edu/
  From the website: “The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce is an independent, nonprofit research and policy institute affiliated with the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy that studies the link between education, career qualifications, and workforce demands.”
• College & Career Readiness & Success Center: http://www.ccrscenter.org/
  From the website: “The College and Career Readiness and Success Center (CCRS Center) is dedicated to ensuring all students graduate high school ready for college and career success. The mission of the CCRS Center is to serve Regional Comprehensive Centers in building the capacity of states to effectively implement initiatives for college and career readiness and success. Through technical assistance delivery and supporting resources, the CCRS Center provides customized support that facilitates the continuous design, implementation, and improvement of college and career readiness priorities.”

Methods:

Search Strings. Critical workforce skills OR critical workforce competencies occupational sectors OR identifying workforce skills in high-demand industry OR identifying high-demand workforce skills

Searched Databases and Resources.

• ERIC
• Academic Databases (e.g., EBSCO databases, JSTOR database, ProQuest, Google Scholar)
• Commercial search engines (e.g., Google)
• Institute of Education Sciences Resources

Reference Search and Selection Criteria. The following factors are considered when selecting references:

• Date of Publication: Priority is given to references published in the past 10 years.
• Search Priorities of Reference Sources: ERIC, other academic databases, Institute of Education Sciences Resources, and other resources including general internet searches
• Methodology: Priority is given to the most rigorous study types, such as randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs, as well as to surveys, descriptive analyses, and literature reviews. Other considerations include the target population and sample, including their relevance to the question, generalizability, and general quality.