Excerpt

The goal of the workshop was to explore the available research evidence related to two important guiding questions: 1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of different research methods and data sources for providing insights about current and future changes in skill demands? 2. What support does the available evidence (given the strengths and weaknesses of the methods and data sources) provide for the proposition that the skills required for the 21st century workplace will be meaningfully different from earlier eras and will require corresponding changes in educational preparation?

Contents

• The National Academies
• Planning Committee on Research Evidence Related to Future Skill Demands
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• 1. Framing the Research on Future Skills
  • WORKSHOP GOALS AND CHALLENGES
  • A BRIEF HISTORY OF DEBATES ABOUT SKILLS AND U.S. COMPETITIVENESS
• 2. Labor Market Trends: A Loss of Middle-Class Jobs?
  • OVERVIEW OF BLS PROJECTIONS TO 2014
  • TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE AND LABOR MARKET POLARIZATION
  • DISCUSSION
• 3. Skill Demands of Knowledge Work
  • KNOWLEDGE WORKERS AND FUTURE SKILL DEMANDS
  • THE KNOWLEDGE WORKER IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
  • KNOWLEDGE WORKERS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY: OCCUPATIONAL STRUCTURE, CAREERS, AND SKILL DEMANDS
  • DISCUSSION
• 4. Skill Demands of Service Work
  • HIGH-TOUCH AND HERE-TO-STAY: FUTURE SKILL DEMANDS IN LOW-WAGE SERVICE OCCUPATIONS
  • SKILL DEMANDS AND TRAINING NEEDS OF PAID CAREGIVERS OF OLDER ADULTS
  • DISCUSSION
• 5. Promising New Data and Research Methods
  • FEASIBILITY OF USING O*NET TO STUDY SKILL CHANGES
  • PROJECTING THE IMPACT OF COMPUTERS ON WORK TO 2030
  • RESPONSE TO TWO PRESENTATIONS
  • A NEW SURVEY OF WORKPLACE SKILLS, TECHNOLOGY, AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
  • DISCUSSION
• 6. Skill Supply and Demand
  • REFLECTIONS ON SKILL DEMAND
  • PANEL DISCUSSION OF SKILL SUPPLY AND DEMAND
  • GENERAL DISCUSSION
• 7. Implications for Education and Training
  • OPENING REMARKS
  • PANEL DISCUSSION
  • GENERAL DISCUSSION
• 8. Final Reflections
  • REFLECTIONS OF PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
  • FINAL COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS
• References
• Appendices
  • A Workshop Agenda
  • B Professional and Service Occupational Clusters
  • C Biographical Sketches of Planning Committee Members and Staff

Margaret Hilton, Rapporteur.

This study was supported by Award No. N01-OD-4-2139, TO #179 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and by Award No. OPVT-7871 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Russell Sage Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

Suggested citation:

National Research Council. (2008). Research on Future Skill Demands: A Workshop Summary. Margaret Hilton, Rapporteur. Center for Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.