In his ED Pro Blog, Ed Morrison surfaces important issues for Northeast Ohio that we can address with effective economic development planning - we have a skills gap, where students and adults are not learning what is needed to function in the new economy - as demonstrated by lack of open source programmers in this region.

A shortage of the right skills mix not only wastes human resources, unable to participate in valuable industries, but drives businesses away from here, where workers cannot meet business development needs, with companies expanding and relocating where people have the right talent mix. Until community leaders, especially in education, become effective predicting future workforce needs, like skills required supporting development around RFID, this region will fail.

The skills gap will continue to grow

Ed Morrison ED Pro Blog: Friday, November 26, 2004

In
many regional economies we face a paradox. People complain that they
can't find jobs, and employers complain that they cannot find workers.
The reason: a skills gap.

For a number of years, we have been
producing too many young adults with weak skills and no career plans.
About half of the young people who enter high school enter adulthood
with skills that do not qualify them for jobs over $10 or $12 per hour.

At the same time, older workers are losing good jobs, but their
skills are so weak that they cannot qualify for new jobs at a similar
pay. So, for example, manufacturing workers lose jobs at $15 per hour,
but they do not have the skills to qualify for the new jobs coming on
line.

So, we have shortages of many occupations that require
some post secondary education: pharmacists, nurses, teachers, medical
techs, flight traffic controllers, skilled trades, even long haul
truckers.

Here's an article that explores the skills gap. Read more. Get used to it. The gap will grow as the Baby Boom generation reaches retirement.