Corridor Businesses will be Surveyed for Skills 2014

by George Ford

Kirkwood Community College will be administering a survey of about 300 Corridor employers in the first quarter of 2011 for an assessment of employers’ skills and employment needs.

Skills 2014, a follow up to the Skills 2006 and Skills 2010 surveys, will be released in a community report in April. The study will involve a two-part survey conducted between January and March 2011.

The first part of the survey project will ask employers to identify current work force numbers, anticipated replacement and projected new job growth by using standard occupational clusters. The second part of the survey will include a series of questions regarding skill development needs as well as trends in training and education programs.

The study will replicate the Skills 2006 and Skills 2010 surveys and will provide comparable data over a 10-year period.

Some of the goals of the Skills 2014 surveys include determining replacement and new job growth projections occupation  and industry sector, identifying desired educational levels and where any skill gaps exist.

The surveys also will identify if employers are investing in training, determine what factors are impeding growth, and find out if organizations are taking advantage of internships or job shadowing programs.