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Research on Future Skill Demands: A Workshop Summary (2008)

Chapter: Appendix A: Workshop Agenda

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Workshop Agenda." National Research Council. 2008. Research on Future Skill Demands: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12066.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Workshop Agenda." National Research Council. 2008. Research on Future Skill Demands: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12066.
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Page 102
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Workshop Agenda." National Research Council. 2008. Research on Future Skill Demands: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12066.
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Page 103
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Workshop Agenda." National Research Council. 2008. Research on Future Skill Demands: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12066.
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Page 104
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Workshop Agenda." National Research Council. 2008. Research on Future Skill Demands: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12066.
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Page 105
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Workshop Agenda." National Research Council. 2008. Research on Future Skill Demands: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12066.
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Page 106
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Workshop Agenda." National Research Council. 2008. Research on Future Skill Demands: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12066.
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Appendix A Workshop Agenda Workshop on Research Evidence Related to Future Skill Demands May 31–June 1, 2007 Thursday, May 31 8:00 a.m. Working Breakfast and Welcome 8:30 Michael Feuer, DBASSE Martin Orland, Center for Education Bruce Fuchs, National Institutes of Health Eric Wanner, Russell Sage Foundation Workshop Goals and Context Richard Murnane, Harvard Graduate School of Education, moderator 8:45 Debates About United States Workforce Skills and Competitiveness David Finegold, Rutgers University Questions and discussion 9:10 The Current Labor Market Peter Cappelli, University of Pennsylvania, moderator 9:15 Overview of Occupational Projections to 2014 Dixie Sommers, Bureau of Labor Statistics 101

102 APPENDIX A 9:30 Response: Sam Leiken, Council on Competitiveness 9:35 Presentation on Polarization in the U.S. Labor Market David Autor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 9:50 Response: Janis Houston, Personnel Decisions Research Institutes 9:55 Discussion among presenters and discussants 10:10 Questions from the steering committee and audience 10:25 Moderator reflections Peter Cappelli, University of Pennsylvania, moderator 10:35 Break 10:50 Skill Demands of Knowledge Work Beth Bechky, University of California-Davis, moderator Guiding Questions for Session •  hat are “knowledge workers”? How many people W are employed in these occupations and how are these occupations projected to grow over the next decade? •  hat are the strengths and weaknesses of the available W research on skill demands among knowledge workers? •  hat does the available research tell us about factors W that may affect the future skill demands of knowledge occupations generally, and biotechnology occupations in particular? •  hat does the available research tell us about current W and projected future skill demands among knowledge workers? •  hat types of broad skills, such as technical/scientific, W cognitive, and communications skills—if any—appear to be most in demand? •  hat are the implications for education, including W continuing education, of knowledge workers? 11:00 The Knowledge Worker and the Future Skill Demands of the U.S. Workforce Asaf Darr, University of Haifa

APPENDIX A 103 11:05 Response: Ken Kay, Partnership for 21st Century Skills 11:10 Future Skill Demands in Biotechnology Fiona Murray, MIT 11:25 Response: David Finegold, Rutgers University 11:30 Discussion among presenters and discussants 11:45 Questions from the steering committee and audience 12:00 p.m. Moderator reflections Beth Bechky, University of California-Davis 12:10 Working Lunch The Globalization of Knowledge Work Martin Kenney, University of California-Davis Questions and discussion 1:20 Skill Demands in Growing Service Sector Jobs Peter Cappelli, University of Pennsylvania, moderator Guiding Questions for Session •  ow many people are employed in nonprofessional H service sector occupations and how are these occupations projected to grow over the next decade? •  hat are the strengths and weaknesses of the available W research on skill demands of nonprofessional service- sector workers? •  hat does qualitative research tell us about the skill W demands of elder care occupations? •  hat does the available research tell us about factors W that may affect the future skill demands of service sector jobs generally, and elder care jobs in particular? •  n those settings where skill demands have increased, I what types of skills are most in demand, including both technical and general/transferable skills? •  hat are the implications for continuing education W of current service sector workers, including elder care workers? What opportunities do they have to develop new skills, through internal job ladders and training systems or access to external education providers, such as community colleges?

104 APPENDIX A •  hat are the implications for K-12 education of future W service workers? •  hat are the implications for education of managers of W service workers? 1:25 Future Skill Demands of Service Work Mary Gatta, Rutgers University 1:40 Response: David Autor, MIT 1:45 Future Skill Demands in Elder Care Chris Wellin, Miami University 2:00 Response: Peter Kemper, Pennsylvania State University 2:05 Discussion among presenters and discussants 2:25 Questions from steering committee and audience and general discussion 2:45 Moderator reflections Peter Cappelli, University of Pennsylvania 2:55 Break 3:10 Promising Methods for Studying Future Skills Guiding Questions for Session •  hat questions about possible future skill demands can W we answer now? • What questions remain unanswered? •  hat kinds of data and resources do we need to help W answer questions about future skill demands? Christopher Sager, University of Central Florida, moderator 3:15 The Feasibility of Using O*NET Data to Study Changes Over Time in Workforce Skill Demands Suzanne Tsacoumis, Human Resources Research Organization 3:30 Projecting the Impact of Computers on Work in 2030 Stuart Elliott, Center for Education

APPENDIX A 105 3:45 Response: Kenneth Spenner, Duke University 3:55 Survey of Skills, Technology, and Management Practices Michael Handel, Northeastern University 4:10 Response: Arne Kalleberg, University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill 4:15 Discussion among presenters and respondents 4:30 Questions from steering committee and audience 4:45 Moderator reflections Christopher Sager, University of Central Florida, moderator 5:00 Adjourn Day 1 Friday, June 1 8:00 a.m. Working Breakfast: Discussion of Future Skill Demand Arne Kalleberg, University of North Carolina, moderator 8:25 Reflections on Emerging Skill Demand (from Day 1), Arne Kalleberg 8:45 Panel discussion of skill supply and demand Guiding Questions for Panel Discussion •  hat is known about the future supply of skills in the W United States (including demographic trends, trends in educational attainment, and immigration trends) and what remains unknown? •  re there possible gaps or mismatches between projected A future skill demands and the future skill supply, based on what is known? •  hat is known about the dynamics of the labor market W and the economy, including possible responses to any skill shortfalls and/or to any increases in the supply of skills? •  re policy interventions (e.g., improvements in A education, changes in immigration law) needed to balance skill supply and demand?

106 APPENDIX A Panelists • Peter Cappelli, University of Pennsylvania •  arry Holzer, Georgetown University and the Urban H Institute • B. Lindsay Lowell, Georgetown University 9:30 Questions from steering committee and audience 9:45 Moderator reflections Arne Kalleberg, University of North Carolina 9:55 Break 10:10 Implications for Education and Training David Finegold, Rutgers University, moderator Guiding Questions for Panel Discussion •  hat forms of education and/or workplace training are W likely to be most effective in addressing future skills gaps or mismatches? •  an we distinguish between skills that are best developed C in education and those that are best developed on the job? •  ow can research on future skill demands/skills gaps be H used to inform curriculum development? •  f the supply of skills changes, independent of demand, I will this affect the future design of jobs and the skills jobs require? (For example, will improving the science and math skills of the workforce lead to creation of more high-skill jobs?) Panelists • Susan Traiman, Business Roundtable •  eter McWalters, Rhode Island Commissioner of P Education • Paul Osterman, MIT Sloan School of Management • Tom Bailey, Columbia University 10:15 Opening comments from panelists (5 minutes) 10:35 Panel discussion

APPENDIX A 107 11:00 Questions from steering committee and audience 11:15 Moderator reflections David Finegold, Rutgers University 11:25 Lessons Learned and Next Steps  Richard Murnane, Harvard Graduate School of Education, moderator Guiding Questions for Session •  hat have we learned over the past day and a half about W the strengths and weaknesses of the available research on future skill demands? •  hat support does the research provide for the W proposition that future skill demands will be significantly higher than at present, either generally or within groups of jobs, such as knowledge workers and service workers? •  hat support does the research provide for the W proposition that major changes in education and training are required to meet future skill demands? What types of changes may be required? •  hat questions remain unanswered, both about future W skill demands and education and training required to meet those demands? •  hat further research or studies are needed to answer W these unanswered questions? Moderator reflections Richard Murnane, Harvard Graduate School of Education 11:40 Working Lunch and Steering Committee Reflections 12:30 p.m. Audience questions, comments, and final observations 12:45 Adjourn

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Over the past five years, business and education groups have issued a series of reports indicating that the skill demands of work are rising, due to rapid technological change and increasing global competition. Researchers have begun to study changing workplace skill demands. Some economists have found that technological change is "skill-biased," increasing demand for highly skilled workers and contributing to the growing gap in wages between college-educated workers and those with less education. However, other studies of workplace skill demands have reached different conclusions. These differences result partly from differences in disciplinary perspective, research methods, and datasets.

The findings of all of these strands of research on changing skill demands are limited by available methods and data sources. Because case study research focuses on individual work sites or occupations, its results may not be representative of larger industry or national trends. At a more basic level, there is some disagreement in the literature about how to define "skill". In part because of such disagreements, researchers have used a variety of measures of skill, making it difficult to compare findings from different studies or to accumulate knowledge of skill trends over time.

In the context of this increasing discussion, the National Research Council held a workshop to explore the available research evidence related to two important guiding questions: What are the strengths and weaknesses of different research methods and data sources for providing insights about current and future changes in skill demands? 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?

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