With young LI workers falling short on skills, schools need to rethink some goals
Job-seekers and potential employers at a job fair. More than half of CEOs say the Island lacks an “ample supply of local workers who are appropriately trained for your employment needs.” Credit: Daniel Goodrich
Long Island advocates often discuss ways to meet the needs of our younger workers, emphasizing housing and affordability, so they don't leave the region for greener pastures.
But what if those young workers aren't meeting Long Island's needs?
The latest Long Island Economic Survey, released earlier this month by accounting and advisory firm PFK O'Connor Davies, which partnered with polling firm Siena College Research Institute, paints a jarring picture of what local chief executives think of their job applicant pool.
More than half of CEOs say the Island lacks an “ample supply of local workers who are appropriately trained for your employment needs.”
Delve into the details, and the picture darkens further. An extraordinary 70% of CEOs say their job applicants' initiative is fair or poor, and 71% say the same of workers' writing skills. More than half label applicants' professionalism, work ethic and verbal skills as fair or poor.
The only category to get an excellent or good rating from more than half of the CEOs surveyed is technical skills.
So, we're preparing a pool of workers who know how to use technology, but can't act professionally, write well or have ambition.
That may sound harsh. But it's a reality we have to address if we really want Long Island's younger workers to stay and thrive here.
Generations of parents have flocked to Long Island for its schools, as their children are promised — and often given — a stellar education, one that often leads to college degrees. But is that education preparing them for the “real world?” On that standard, CEOs are telling us, we could do better.
Tucked into the poll were slices of good news. Some 56% of employers said they'd locate their businesses on Long Island if they could choose again, and most think the region's educational systems and workforce are an asset. And there are signs — particularly for our youngest students — that some schools are attuned to the need for a spotlight on more practical skills.
Last week, a group of second graders at Brookside Elementary School in Baldwin, dressed in neat shirts and slacks or dresses, pitched their own lemonade business to a group of school administrators, “Shark Tank”-style. It stemmed from budgeting and financial literacy lessons, part of a district initiative focused on skills students will need come 2035.
The students came up with an idea for a business, a “Shark Tank” pitch, and a plan to raise money for charity all at the same time. None of that was in the curriculum. Their teachers listened to them — and taught them what they wanted to learn.
We need to listen to the region's CEOs, too. They're telling us what their workers are missing, and our schools must be able to fill in the gaps. If we can align how we teach and what we teach with what CEOs need, Long Island's young workers will be far more ready to take on the jobs of the future. That means rethinking some of our educational goals and standards to match our businesses' requirements, and developing strong partnerships between companies, schools and those overseeing curriculum.
That starts with current high school and college students, and even young adults now out of school. But as some schools already have recognized, the effort also has to filter down to our youngest students — like those 7-year-old Baldwin residents, who, in a few decades, might just become the region's next CEOs.
Columnist Randi F. Marshall's opinions are her own.
Randi Marshall is a member of the Newsday editorial board.