POSITIONS The following positions have been taken by the authors of this testimony in order to give direction to the recommendations. 1. It is necessary to develop legislation and through it programs which will not generate division of our society into classes or castes. Manpower training through vocational education is an integral part of the American educational system and is in the democratic tradition of America. Personal development of the individual should not be channeled as elsewhere in the world. 2. It is necessary to relate this training directly to the jobs available and to the dynamic economic structure of our country. 3. Existing resources-tools, people, and agencies are available to develop this relationship. 4. It is necessary to interrelate the technical training provided with the academic and the social education. It is this interrelationship which provides the realism of the world of work to the academic and social educational processes. It further provides the technically oriented person a means for personal development as a citizen who will make a contribution to society. 5. Occupational education which combines the concepts of academic, technical and social skill development should be the major goal of legislative enactments and subsequent programs. 6. It is important that manpower training be closely related to the school systems and these, in turn, jointly provide for the needs of our young people— in particular the so-called "dropouts". 8. Each agency or organization has its own major function and should develop its activities related to that function and not become so widespread in its activities as to dilute the purpose for which it was formed. 9. In order to properly interrelate the activities of various agencies and organizations, it is necessary that effective cooperation and coordination of their expertise be built into the system at the local, state and national levels in order to maximize manpower development. 10. Distinction needs to be made between cooperative work-study programs and "On-The-Job" training programs. In work-study programs the training in the field is part of the extension of the school into the community. In "On-TheJob" training programs the training is related to ongoing "in-house industry" and apprenticeship training programs. 11. From our point of view there are portions of the three suggested bills which are excellent and certainly need to be taken into consideration in any overall manpower development system. 12. Present Vocational Education Acts now substantially provide for the development of trained manpower in America. The things that are missing are adequate funding to provide these proposed programs, the coordinated involvement of public and private agencies, and the direct relationships to the jobs within the economic structure. 13. The needed changes in our present institutions will most effectively be brought about through the channeling of funds to programs which require specific types of cooperation and coordination of the public and private sectors specifically responsible-Labor, HEW, Commerce, HUD, etc. 14. The essential and most important level in which this coordination and cooperation must occur is at the local level where you can have the direct involvement of the people who use manpower and the people who provide the training and education directly to the person. THE E.D.C. MANPOWER NEEDS ANALYSIS The authors of this statement have been engaged in the local community level with major elements of the community-education, labor, business/industry and public agencies-in the process of determining manpower needs of our local area and the development of plans to meet those needs. Attached to and a part of this statement is the methodology of this empirical investigation. Through this process we believe we have demonstrated the concepts embodied in our positions stated above and in our recommendations which follow. Essentially the concepts upon which the E.D.C. Manpower Needs Analysis was developed were that each agency is designed for a specific purpose and that the coordination and cooperation between and among these agencies can provide the total program necessary to fully develop the trained person. It was carried on in a local area as defined above and was able to provide the direct involvement of all the major elements of the community. We submit that this process provides the key answer to the problems of developing trained manpower for our nation's economy. RECOMMENDATIONS The following recommendations are made on the basis of our experience at the local level in the process of developing the E.D.C. Manpower Needs Analysis. We would recommend that: 1. Vocational education and specific manpower training programs be considered as complementary. 2. The training function related to occupational and vocational education remain under the auspices of the education system, but that "non-educators", e.g., technical industry supervisors, journeymen, etc., be included as instructors. 3. Cooperative work-study programs are a part of the training related to Vocational and occupational education in terms of being an extension of school programs. 4. "On-The-Job" training such as "in-house industry" or apprenticeship training programs can and should continue as part of an overall Manpower Development system which covers the full spectrum of employment expressed within the total economic structure. Such programs are supplementary to and complement occupational and vocational education. 5. Within the educational system it is appropriate to provide specialized counseling, testing and specific follow-up activities. Activities such as the relocation of employees, outreach programs and placement programs should logically be placed within other agencies designed for those functions. 6. There should be established at the local level a Coordinating Task Force representing education, labor, business/industry, and other public agencies. The membership should include both decision makers and the technical people. Appointments should be made by the agency involved. 7. The program development for training should be jointly developed by the local Coordinating Task Force which could operate in a "neutral" meeting ground and provide the opportunity for innovation and freedom from fear of || tradition, change, or established policy. 8. There should be an arbitration commission established from the major agencies at the state and federal levels, e.g., Department of Labor, Commerce, HEW, to arbitrate any jurisdictional disputes over the guidelines and procedures at the state and Federal levels on the development and operation of the programs at the local level. 9. In order to produce effective change within the existing agencies to make them dynamic and responsive to the ongoing social and technological real world changes, funds are allocated to the local level only after concurrence for the program has been given by the local Coordinating Task Force. 10. The state and federal level Coordinating Task Forces set the policies, guidelines, and priorities based upon the recommendations from the local level; and will, when required, act in the capacity of an arbitration commission. 11. Other regulations with time limits will be a part of the program which would require basic changes within existing agencies to meet manpower training needs. For example, "non-educators", e.g., technical industry supervisors, journeymen, etc., be included as instructors. Criteria for instructor qualifications should be based primarily on experience, past performance and ability to teach. 12. Appropriations be adequate to carry out the programs. 13. Funding remain flexible and timely in order to develop the needed training programs quickly and in response to the changing economic conditions at local and regional levels. 14. Forward funding be applied in order that appropriate planning can take place. E.D.C. MANPOWER NEEDS ANALYSIS* FOR OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT PRELIMINARY REPORT This project was developed to relate the planning and implementation of occupational education to the dynamics of our economy. The thesis which forms *This analysis has been co-sponsored by the Snohomish County Economic Development Council, Inc. and Intermediate School District 109 partially supported by a Title III, ESEA Project, "CORPS FOR TIM" the basis for the investigation was that optimal programs of instruction will result from a sustained involvement of all the resources of the communityeducation, labor, business/industry and public agencies-in the planning, development and implementation process. The task was to relate training to actual jobs and to the specific requirements of those jobs. PURPOSE Long-Range Goal The major purpose was to maximize the transferability of academic and technical skills learned in a realistic occupational education setting by providing basic information about the current and projected manpower demands of our complex economic, social and cultural structure. Specific Objectives The project is designed specifically to obtain data and an analysis thereof the local manpower needs as they relate to the economic structure. This structure is reflected through the "Washington State Input/Output Analysis" and other related studies for the present status and for future projections of employmentquantitatively and qualitatively to develop a higher degree of accuracy in forecasting. The following are specific objectives sought through the application of the investigation: Synthesize input materials and information into a useable set of projections for occupational curriculum development. Update projections periodically and provide continuous feedback to the Task Force and the community. Finance the project from many segments of the community on a joint venture basis in order to generate the necessary money and to create vested partnership interests. Utilize the expertise of a consultant to provide objectivity and to aid users in synthesizing data and developing constructive solutions to problems. Provide a neutral ground for discussion, exploration, and recommendation, from which innovation can be attempted without fear of breaking with tradition, established policy, existing bureaucratic inertia, or threats to self-preservation. THEORETICAL BASIS FOR THE INVESTIGATION Economic Structure Complexity of Work and Education As the demand for diversified manpower becomes greater through the specialization of tasks performed by man, the problem of providing formalized occupational education becomes more complex and difficult. I/O Study Economic Structure One tool for measuring the complex economic structure within which man works is the Input/Output Study. This shows the interrelationship of sales and purchaser in terms of transactions among all members of the economic system. Other Tools In addition to the I/O Study several other tools and sources for measuring the economy and the variability of manpower needs were used. These include studies and projections by the: Washington State Department of Employment Security U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Snohomish County Planning Commission Arthur D. Little and Co., Inc. (Boeing 747 Impact Study) Snohomish County Economic Development Council, Inc. (Snohomish River 44-425-70-pt. 2-3 Basin Planning Study) Puget Sound Governmental Conference Washington State Department of Commerce and Economic Development National Planning Association Labor Market and Technology These tools give a reflection of the labor market by correlation to the SIC Code of industrial classification. This, coupled with technological advances, provides the basis for manpower employment projections. Local Variation Because of the localized nature of the educational process and job sources, it is important to obtain information in depth on the local variation of the available employment in order to realistically design curricula to meet local as well as state, regional and national manpower needs. "Grassroots" Realism Local input also provides a "grassroots" participation and realism against which to compare generalized projections developed from theoretical models and mass statistics. It provides a more valid empirical approach to determine coefficients for statistical projection formulae. Size of the Sub-Region The sub-regional areas (for defining local variation) must be large enough to provide a sufficient cross section of the economic structure in order to reflect the inter-relationships between major segments of the economy including well defined governmnetal units and occupational training institutions. For this project the general limits of a county were utilized. Composite Sum of Local Data The integration of data from these local areas will provide realistic information at the state, regional and national levels. Economic, social and political decision making can then be based upon a knowledge of the sub-regional variations as well as the overall picture. Comparison and synthesis of individual source projections can be used to develop a refined summation. MANPOWER REQUIREMENTS Tools for Employment Analysts There are three existing tools used in classifying manpower needs in this project. They are the Standard Industrial Classification Code (SIC) and the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) breakdown of jobs. The third tool, a local Employment Needs Survey, provided data on current and future labor market requirements of the local area within the context of the larger region. SIC Code The SIC Code breaks down the total industry structure in terms of nine major categories. Refinement within each of the major divisions allows more detailed analysis as required. This device is now used by the Employment Security Of fices for reporting. (Most sub-regional areas publish monthly status reports of current employment for their area). By projecting employment under this clas sification a year-to-year comparison based on actual operating conditions can be made. A continuous updating thus becomes possible. This process can be computerized and trend lines developed. DOT Within each SIC category are several occupations, many of them appearing in more than one of the categories. The DOT gives not only a major source of job classification by title but provides a detailed description of the job. Whole Person Concept Extensions of the DOT description, in turn, provides identification of the academic, technical and social skills required for a given job. The "whole" or "total" person concept can thus be applied with the development of a specialized skill for the individual. It also provides the basis for later skill transferability or acquisition of new skills and assists in the development of personal confidence. Local Employment Survey The local Employment Needs Survey yields specific information regarding current and future labor needs of local government, business and industry. This is requested in gross numbers and for specific jobs within the operation. In addition, academic, technical and social skill requirements are sought. Current and future plans for Occupational Training are asked for. These include in-house programs as well as use of private and public educational institutions. OCCUPATIONAL CURRICULA Specific Tasks and Skills Central to the development of realistic educational programs is the delineation of specific tasks or skills required by the job-academic, technical and social. These can be identified through the local Employment Survey and the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) as they are related to the major classifications of employment (SIC). Performance Objectives Flowing from this identification of tasks will be the statements of performance objectives which must be met by the students. At this point, curriculum specialists must develop training packages to be offered to the trainee. Numbers To Be Trained The gross demand for new positions coupled with indices of turnover, retirement and death provide the quantitative basis for decision making on the number of students to train. This, in turn, has implications for teachers, facilities, equipment and materials. Basis for Curriculum Changes A constant feedback from employers to curriculum planners, educators, and the community regarding the adequacy of the trainee and changes in manpower requirements due to shifts in the economic structure will provide the basis for continual updating of the curricular offerings to meet the job demands. PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTATION Key Is Involvement The key to making the project work is obtaining the involvement of representatives from all the major sectors of the community-education, labor, business/industry, and public agencies. It is necessary that at least one representative, who has expertise, from each sector work together in a small working committee to initiate action. Initial Community Meetings The process is begun with a community-wide forum to discuss occupational education. All sectors of the public and private community must be included and |