RELEASE ON RECEIPT Study Looks at Virginia Workplace of the Future OLD-FASHIONED VALUES AND HIGH-TECH SKILLS ARE IN DEMAND "The very first step to even getting into a company like this is the interview. And you would not believe how many people I have coming in with their pants hanging off their butts, shirts on that say nasty things, their hair's not done, they've not shaved, or the girls that come in [in] shorts and tennis shoes. The kids who show up now are just unreal. It's like nobody ever told them that this is not proper. I don't care if you're going to shovel poo-poo out of a pig pen, you show up dressed." Manager, sporting goods chain store CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Nov. 7 -- The three R's and an old-fashioned work ethic, along with computer literacy, will be among the most important skills that today's students can bring with them into tomorrow's job market, according to a new study of 564 Virginia employers. "Virginia's Changing Workplace: Employers Speak," a report that focuses on jobs for young people without four-year college degrees, was conducted by Julia Martin, Achsah Carrier and Betsy Hill, researchers with the University of Virginia's Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. It updates information contained in the 1985 landmark study, "Changing Job Skills in Virginia," also conducted by Martin. A lot of ink has been spilled about the need for young people entering the labor market to possess computer skills and the ability to learn new computer software programs on advanced computer hardware. But employers, even as they note the growing need for workers with strong technical skills, stress even more the importance of finding job applicants who can read instructions, write clearly, demonstrate an understanding of basic math, and show the kinds of personal characteristics that will make them assets to the workplace. "The work place of the future is not going to depend only on doctors and engineers and corporate managers with M.B.A.s," said Martin. "The success of many businesses will depend on the hard and soft skills of front-line, hands-on workers -- an often-neglected group of young people who don't attend four-year colleges." The researchers talked with a broad spectrum of employers across the state -- profit, non profit and government; managers, supervisors, human resource directors and owners of businesses large and small. They discussed 54 occupations and the skills that will be needed to land and keep a broad range of jobs now and in the not-so-distant future. The fields ranged from biomedical machinery repair and carpentry to restaurant management. The openings represented entry-level jobs for high school graduates without four-year college degrees. Written in a highly readable style, the report offers recommendations of value to a wide audience -- educational planners and administrators, community college faculty, job placement agencies, guidance and vocational counselors, and human resource departments. Straight-from the-heart comments by employers lend insight into their frustrations in trying to hire a skilled work force and offer educators advice about how better to ready students for successful work experiences and life-long learning. Although not a part of their original plan, a section on "Finding and Keeping a First Job" has been included by the authors because so many of the company officials they interviewed offered solid, no-nonsense advice along these lines. "When we hire apprentices, we first of all look for an individual who has a good attitude, that's the key....The main thing is you want to find a good work ethic in them, and in the last 15 years, that's been very difficult. Excuse my French, but the work ethic of the individual today has gone to hell in a hand basket. It's just not there, and I don't know why. I would say that out of a class of 100, you might find five who'd be worthy of what a workman traditionally used to be 25 years ago, where they're willing to work, they're willing to learn, they're willing to go the extra mile and take pride in their work. After that, the rest of them just don't give a damn." Vice president, industrial electrical contracting firm It's not just a question of the older generation complaining about the younger generation. It's that the world has changed and grown faster and companies that don't keep up with -- or beat -- the competition won't be around for long. "Business is relying more and more and more on computers, and that puts more pressure on our response times. We used to have a 24-hour response window. Now it's an eight-hour one. [And some] customers are requesting one- and two-hour response contracts with us for service....It's life and death that those computers are working." Sales-and-service supplier to small businesses There is a push for greater profits, whether through cost-cutting, downsizing and just-in time delivery or expanding markets and higher per-employee sales. The ranks of middle-managers are being reduced, while front-line production workers, salesmen and other employees are being asked to take on more responsibility for the company's success, with less supervision. "There's a movement toward -- I guess the best buzzword is 'empowerment'...We're asking workers to use both their minds and their hands. And...the struggle that we've had is how do you provide people with the tools to make that shift in their paradigm?...I think that's the biggest change, that we're asking [workers] to get together in teams, without lots of direct management, and identify problems, think about how they would solve them, try to identify the benefits and costs of solving them, and then go do it. And that's different, that's a degree of ownership that we haven't asked people to have before." Manufacturing manager, large-city chemical plant And as computerization continues its march through the world of work, thousands of low level jobs are being eliminated. Employers are demanding more and more education and credentials at all levels, beginning with the factory floor. A high school diploma is often not enough to interest an employer and there's almost no place for dropouts, Martin stresses. Education as we know it also must change, is already changing. Employees will be called on to learn and relearn their jobs as their equipment, companies and industries change. Life-long learning for most people will not be a buzzword, but reality. ### November 6, 1997 For more information, call Julia Martin at (804) 982-5581 or write her at jhm3c@virginia.edu. Television reporters should contact our TV News Office at (804) 924-7550. The report, "Virginia's Changing Workplace," is available from the Cooper Center for Public Service.