[NLA] Skills Gap report

[M C Smith]

Another point which Tom Sticht did not mention, but is worthwhile to note 
regarding the validity of the Skills Gap report: These surveys are almost 
always completed either by the company's HR director or the CEO/COO or a 
close underling. The responses are often simply these individuals' 
impressions of the characteristics of their workforce--almost always based 
on inadequate data. How many HR directors or CEOs spend any time directly 
observing workers on the shop floor? Even shop supervisors may have 
inadequate or incomplete information regarding the skills (literacy or 
otherwise) or the workers whom they supervise. Many manufacturing jobs, for 
example, require little "literacy" in the sense that the average layperson 
thinks of it--reading and writing and, maybe, a bit of math. So, 
supervisors and managers have little opportunity to witness what their 
employees are capable of doing. Another point--many companies across the US 
have terminated their workplace literacy and basic skills programs for 
employees, suggesting either that there is no "skills gap" or these 
companies are simply not putting their money where their mouth is, to quote 
my old Uncle Benny.

M Cecil Smith, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Educational Psychology
Northern Illinois University
mcsmith at niu.edu

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