Developing In-Demand Skills for a Changing Job Market: A Workshop for Alumni

1. Rutgers University Alumni Association and Rutgers Career Services in conjunction with The John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development present… Developing In-Demand Skills for a Changing Job Market: A Workshop for Alumni November 11, 2009

2. Benefits and Services for Rutgers graduates: Rutgers Career Services http://careerservices.rutgers.edu/alumniinfo.shtml Rutgers University Alumni Association Ralumni.com

3. The Emerging Skill Requirements of a Changing Economy Jennifer M. Cleary, M.P.A.P., Senior Project Manager The John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Edward J. Bloustein School for Planning and Public Policy

4. Overview Introduction Where Are the Jobs? Which Skills are in High Demand and What Can You Do to Be More Competitive? 4

5. Overview: Heldrich Center Research Reports on Industry skill needs of key NJ industries: • Pharmaceuticals/Biotech • Health Care • Financial Services • Construction • Energy/Utilities • Information Technology • Transportation • Port-related Industries • Retail Industry • Disaster Response • Hospitality / Tourism • Manufacturing • Green Jobs • Remote Work • Research based on: • Over 250 interviews with New Jersey Employers • Over 20 Focus Groups with Industry and Education Stakeholders

6. Where Are the Jobs?

7. Recession-Resilient Industries • Industries benefitting from stimulus • Research • Health IT • Public Policy/Gov’t Contractors • Construction and • “Green Jobs” Industries surviving on their own: • Healthcare • Aging baby boomers fueling demand • For jobs, think beyond nursing • Education

8. What are “Green Jobs”? No standard definition Protecting ecosystems and wildlife Minimizing waste and pollution Reducing energy usage and lowering carbon emissions Green Jobs cross many industries and occupational titles Old and new occupations All education levels Difficult to count 8

9. Two Sectors of Green Jobs in Energy Energy Efficiency/ Conservation Residential Weatherization Commercial and Industrial Retrofits Renewable/Sustainable Energy Renewable: Solar, Wind, Biomass, Biofuel, Geothermal Sustainable: Hydrogen, Nuclear, Co-Generation Source: Northwest Community Energy 9

10. Common “Green” Job Categories Construction, Installation, Repair, and Maintenance Skilled trades workers and laborers Building auditors and raters Facilities management Architecture, Engineering, and Project Management High-skill design, engineering, project mgt. Manufacturing Production of RE/EE products and parts Research and Development Basic research, testing and development of new RE/EE products and technologies. Business Administration Financial/Sales/Marketing Information Technology Carbon/SREC trading

11. Green Job Growth Drivers 11

12. Polices Stimulating Energy Job Creation

13. Green Energy Job Creation in NJ • Hiring and short-term training needs are still emerging – Stay Tuned! • What we expect in NJ: Residential EE Commercial EE, Solar projects, R&D Large Wind Projects First Wave Second Wave Third Wave

14. Which Skills are in High Demand and What Can You Do to Be More Competitive in Today’s Volatile Job Market?

15. “Invisible” Skills May Get You the Job

16. Research with Employers Study Focus: • Emerging trends impacting employer skill needs in New Jersey’s Innovation Economy; • Key skillsworkers at all levels employment need to adapt to these trends, and • Industries included: • Life sciences - Information Technology • Telecommunications - Energy • Advanced Manufacturing - Advanced Materials • Environmental Technology - Professional Engineering & Research • Retail - Healthcare services • - Utilities/Infrastructure • - Domestic Preparedness / Public Health Emergency Readiness

17. Workforce Challenges Posed by a Rapidly Changing, Global Economy • Innovation = Creative Destruction • Job titles and job duties are more amorphous • Skill requirements change quickly

18. Six Evolving Workplace Trends TREND #1. Competitive advantage of firms that harness knowledge and innovation TREND #3. Continued and expanded reliance on technology in the workplace TREND #5. Employer focus on privacy, security, & ethics TREND #4. Increasing diversity in the workplace TREND #6. Regulation shifts change business processes TREND #2. Decentralization of business operations and management

19. Broad Workplace Trend Implications for Workers Job responsibilities at all levels are changing to improve the flow of knowledge throughout organizations TREND #1. Competitive advantage of firms that harness knowledge and innovation Major firms are creating new types of knowledge jobs including: chief knowledge officers and innovation managers

20. Broad Workplace Trend Implications for Workers Transfer of more responsibility to front line workers / High-performance work systems TREND #2. Decentralization of business operations and management Development of global project networks More non-traditional worker-employer relationships

21. Broad Workplace Trend Implications for Workers Shifts in job responsibilities and skills needed to perform jobs TREND #3. Continued and expanded reliance on technology in the workplace Net increase in the level of skills needed to be successful in most jobs

22. Broad Workplace Trend Implications for Workers TREND #4. Increasing diversity in the workplace Higher level of complexity Involved in interpersonal interactions

23. Broad Workplace Trend Implications for Workers Job responsibilities at all levels are changing to improve prevention of and response to a variety of threats TREND #5. Employers increasingly focused on privacy, security, and ethics concerns Major firms are creating new positions to address security and ethics concerns including: ethics officers and security managers

24. Broad Workplace Trend Implications for Workers TREND #6. Business processes change in response to shifts in regulations & mergers/ acquisitions Long and short-term increases in the knowledge and skill requirements for jobs at all levels

25. High Priority Skills in Today’s Economy • Adaptability Skills • Information Management and Communication/ Relationship-building Skills • Business Skills  • Math/Science/Engineering/Technology Skills • Interdisciplinary skills

26. Adaptability Skills • Critical thinking and problem solving skills • Monitoring, problem identification • Flexible role orientation • Management of organizational change • Lifelong learning • Time management • Career management

27. Information Management and Communication/ Relationship-building Skills • Gather, prioritize and analyze data and information • Convey knowledge gained through analysis • Cultural understanding, awareness • Public speaking / presentation • Writing • Teamwork • Negotiation

28. Business Skills  • Project management • Product management / marketing • Sales / customer service • Basic business finance • Management skills, especially in a virtual environment

29. Math/Science/Engineering/Technology Skills • Advanced knowledge in a single math/science/engineering discipline • Basic knowledge in a technical discipline • Understand and apply new technologies, including distance learning tools

30. Interdisciplinary skills • Knowledge of multiple science, engineering disciplines • Combined business and science/engineering skills

31. What You Can Do • Highlight Priority Skills You Already Have • Build Skills/Obtain Certification Through Formal Education • Use Informal Means to Develop Weaker Skills • Do your Homework on Employers – No “One-Size-Fits-All” Resumes and Cover Letters • Be Flexible – Most people end up far from their major in the real world.

32. Additional Resources Heldrich Center Website:www.heldrich.rutgers.edu New Jersey Department of Labor Market Tools • General: http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/lpa/LMI_index.html • Real Time Jobs in Demand http://lwd.state.nj.us/labor/lpa/content/RealTimeJobsinDemand.html • Quarterly Workforce Indicators http://lehd.did.census.gov/led/datatools/qwiapp.html