Do you know?
The world of work is changing at an ever increasing pace!
- Technical information doubles every 14 days!
- 80% of the jobs young people will occupy in the future don’t exist yet!
- The marketplace is becoming ‘Techno-Service’ or ‘High Tech-High Touch’ driven!
- A minimum of a ninth grade reading level is required to live above poverty!
- 50% of American adults read at or below the ninth grade level!
- For every 3 workers that retire, there is only 1 worker to replace him or her!
What YOU need to know to compete in the 21st Century Workforce…
Basic skills are required!
An increasing percentage of employers state that individuals entering the workforce with a high school diploma are basic skills deficient in reading, writing and math.
Colleges report that a significant percentage of incoming freshman are basic skills deficient and in need of remediation to prepare for the rigor of college curriculum.
If you are experiencing trouble with reading, writing or math – help is available! Talk to your parents, teachers or guidance counselor. Whatever you do – don’t wait! The longer you wait, the harder it will be to get back on track with these skills.
Finishing school is not enough!
Finishing school will NOT be enough to compete in the emerging global workforce. Learn for Life! Your learning doesn’t end once you finish school and get that job you’ve been waiting for. You’re going to need to keep up with the latest changes in technology. It’s not as bad as it sounds – taking more personal responsibility for your career development plan, puts you in control of your career path opportunities!
Understand Diversity
Do you know that Mandarin Chinese is the fastest growing language in the world? Do you know that some of the things we do and say everyday that are considered appropriate in America, may not be appropriate in other countries? Knowing how to interact with a variety of different people will be a very important skill that many employers will be looking for as you enter the workforce.
Strong work ethics – Please apply!
A STRONG work ethic is the most important skill set requirement noted by employers today! To compete in a global workforce, it is critical that you understand what a good work ethic means, why it is important to employers, how it can benefit or cost you, and most importantly, how to demonstrate it. This is what is meant by ‘service’ or ‘high-touch’ skills.
Work ethic is the set of behaviors and attitudes that you demonstrate at work and apply to your job!
Here are several examples of POOR work ethic!
- being late
- not completing things
- spending time on the phone with friends
- dressing inappropriately
- being rude to customers
- appearing bored, lazy or tired (a.k.a. - “unmotivated”)
There are several ways that you can establish a STRONGwork ethic:
- Make a list of the qualities that you think make up a STRONG work ethic and practice them everyday. Then, ask your parents, teachers, or family members to take a look at this list. Do they agree with what you have listed? If not, find out why and ask them to add items that they think are important and missing from the list. Can you list examples of times and situations that you have demonstrated any of the items from the list?
- Learn about the benefits and costs associated with having either a STRONG or POOR work ethic. For example, one cost of a poor ethic could mean losing your job! While, a benefit of having a good work ethic could mean a promotion! If you’re not sure how to go about this – ask your teacher, employer, or family members.
- Practice responsibility! Get a job, volunteer, or help out around the house.
Learn how to take initiative by starting things on your own and not waiting to be asked to do something. This is easy if whatever it is you need to do is something that you really like to do. It’s the stuff we don’t like to do that can trip us up! Unfortunately, there are no easy answers on how to deal with this. It’s a fact of life that there will be things we just aren’t motivated about or want to take initiative on. That said; here are some hints on how to ease the pain of doing the hard, boring, routine, etc…stuff.
- Take it one step at a time! Break up big tasks into smaller mini-tasks.
- Think about how great it will feel when the task has been accomplished.
