Lawmakers searching for answers to close skills gap

Frustrated by the gap between available jobs in Rhode Island and the lack of trained workers to fill them, some state legislators are pushing for action on this stubborn chasm in the workforce.
One legislator taking steps to close the “skills gap” is Rep. Joseph McNamara, D-Warwick, who introduced the Back to Work Rhode Island Program Act of 2013 on Jan. 9. “I see neighbors who have talents and are unemployed and collecting unemployment,” McNamara said at an economic summit for House members on Jan. 17 at Rhode Island College.
The summit brought together legislators, business leaders and higher education officials for the latest in a series of efforts to kick-start Rhode Island’s ailing economy and reduce the state’s 10.2 percent unemployment rate.
“Sometimes people are hesitant about losing their unemployment benefits if they participate in a new job and it doesn’t work out,” McNamara said. “This bill gives them a chance to participate in a job for up to 24 hours a week for six weeks and collect unemployment. They don’t have to go through all the hoops to go back on unemployment after that if they don’t get a job.”
The bill states that it is intended to alleviate one investment risk faced by businesses: “In an uncertain economy, employers are hesitant to invest in training if there is a risk the investment will not result in a qualified and skilled employee.”
Under the provisions of the bill, the employer must have a full-time position open and “provide the claimant with skill enhancement and job training relevant to the open employment position.”
That elusive path to enhancing and updating the skills of Rhode Island workers was addressed by a panel focused on small-business challenges and recommendations.
“We have 78,000 unemployed workers in Rhode Island and we need a database to match existing skills with businesses of all sizes,” said Karl Wadensten, CEO of VIBCO Inc.
More use of the online EmployRI.org is an available action step, Wadensten said. EmployRI.org, which allows job seekers and employers to match skills with job openings, is part of the online-resources network used by the state Department of Labor and Training.
While skill development is a huge challenge in Rhode Island, Wadensten said businesses are also looking for workers with positive values and characteristics that align with their organizations. Getting those potential employees in contact with employers is important. The challenges facing Rhode Island’s workforce run in a familiar circle when state business, education and legislative leaders convene – from quality of K-12 education to college readiness and 21st-century skills.
Improvements in the economy and attracting new business have to begin with K-12 education, said Owen Johnson, co-founder and managing partner of the Providence-based startup accelerator Betaspring, which has mentored 57 new companies since it began in 2009.
“The biggest challenge we have in recruiting entrepreneurs is education – the public schools,” said Johnson. “Entrepreneurs want high-quality education for their children.”
Rep. Peter Palumbo, D-Cranston, said he has personally found one strength Rhode Island can expand on in education, even though it may be a tiny segment.
“Rhode Island College has a program for teachers for certification in autism,” said Palumbo, who has two sons with different levels of autism spectrum disorders. “That’s an important specialty in education and those teachers are hired immediately.”
One of the state’s strong points is its maritime industry and more should be done to train workers and expand that sector, said Rhode Island AFL-CIO President George Nee, who was on the summit panel on workforce-development gaps and opportunities
“The state would benefit from a coordinated maritime trades authority for Quonset, Newport and Providence,” Nee said.
Rep. James McLaughlin, D-Cumberland, also has his vision set on Rhode Island’s connection to the water as a resource begging for expansion. The University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography is a strong foundation to build upon, he said.
“I’d like to see more underwater research so this nation comes to Rhode Island for ocean expertise,” McLaughlin said.
Expanding the emphasis on fisheries and aquaculture would create jobs and strengthen the economy, he said.
For lawmakers, the summit was a launching point for ideas that might help close the skills gap and boost the overall economy.
The General Assembly has to look at the big picture, said House Majority Leader Nicholas Mattiello, D-Cranston.
“We have to create an environment that’s going to help the private sector expand,” he said •

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