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Jon Erickson, ACT president of the Education Division, and Martin Scaglione, ACT president of the Workforce Division, on the ACT’s nationwide testin...
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School our is our education system teaching students the -- skills to match the needs of employers pumpkin carving excluded.
AZT -- -- allowed nine UN percent of American jobs and found some really interesting trends.
Joining us now -- Ericsson president at -- -- education division and my and -- Leone president of the work force division.
OK let's start with you first we're testing these kids.
Protesting these kids to figure out what the skills that they have for the interest that they have when we get -- results.
Both actually we're looking at -- -- their interest what other goals.
Where their foundational skills and where there workplace skills and we -- -- -- that early and often so we can intervene when needed and who's testing MMI paying to have my contestant.
In K12 education and usually the system in the school pays -- higher education sometimes -- students sometimes it's the schools and when it reaches.
Employers sometimes it's the -- themselves sometimes it's business so MR and they results come to.
You as head of the workforce division and what do you do with those results well we study him extensively and we've determined that in many cases there's -- skills gap.
And so -- we trying to do is provide -- remediation for those students who.
May need that to improve their skills and for the employers to help understand -- the skills so -- our -- coming out of school with skills gap is what you're saying it's for what jobs in particular what jobs are skills most needed that we can't fill these were primarily seen -- skills gap and what we call the middle skills area these are.
Jobs that require education beyond high school jobs that might require education.
Up to a two year degree or higher and not how it's not necessarily college we have a pretty good -- -- high skill to have workers to high skilled jobs in America but the middle schools where we have to be so some of the things you mentioned -- precision metal workers in welders things like that.
How then John today gone fine.
Train for this.
Well the employers can -- you can get it through college online classes in colleges but.
Even -- K12 level we find that the five fastest growing occupational careers for 2002 money.
There's a severe gap between students interest in those areas and it and -- readiness -- on what are those -- those Primerica and communications.
Computer information and marketing and sales.
Education and IT area -- So again it's all about -- become -- technology.
Is it so ever changing more and so you -- go to get a four year degree technology and get -- it's useless but here's where we have a gap is that the speed by which the jobs are changing.
Is is outpacing the speed by which the education system is changing as well so the relevancy and currency -- -- education.
Or skill needs to be upgraded and changed rapidly.
To keep pace with the exception what does that what does that -- than we -- that our school systems we change the way we educate our children.
There's two pieces to that one of employers need to be stronger in their voice of what's necessary to be successful in the job in the education system needs to aligned to that more closely.
And they're not right now -- off now this -- -- employer decides what it needs whose responsibility is it.
To educate horse or offer those skills is -- the employer's responsibility to train.
-- should those kids have already had the training when they got there.
Well it's -- two two -- crime but you're right it should be shared.
And responsibility.
But in today's market it needs to be both.
And it's not it's so so what are we doing to get the word out that are -- we're not educating our kids properly anymore I think folks are now settling on solutions won the efforts were seen it's working quite -- -- community efforts.
We're by the employers are engaging with the Community Colleges today.
And the community colleges -- become the training grounds for the employers and for that student population -- -- learn those skills and there are pockets across the country ware that's working quite well.
We need to more communication for our kids that's for sure no -- John Martin thank you so much and thank you and us.
All right.
