A report released this week by Our Valley Our Future shows that employers are finding it hard to hire and keep good employees in the valley.  One of the Our Valley, Our Future Initiative's action items was to complete a workforce needs assessment with the major employers in the area that will be used to guide local school districts and higher education institutions in developing programs to educate and train students to meet those workforce needs.

The team of 14 employers found there is an urgent need to increase employability and improve the level of "soft skills" in the local workforce.  The report defined soft skills to include work ethic, responsibility, motivation, attendance, appearance, attitude, and social/communication/customer service skills.  Of the notable results, 59 percent had a hard time hiring qualified applicants, 81 percent experienced moderate to high difficulty with poor communication skills amongst applicants or new hires and 78 percent indicated moderate to high difficulty with poor work habits. The report's recommendations ranged from developing local partnerships between educational institutions and regional employers to incorporating local employers as guest speakers into the educational curriculum with a focus on the importance of employability skills and workplace expectations. Writing classes could include job applications and resume writing workshops.

Here is a link to the complete Our Valley Workforce Needs Assessment Report

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