19D - WORKFORCE PLAN 2017-2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Plan Occupations with only 34 candidates per job opening. A lack of employees with in- demand skills aggravates the skills gap further., Orange County's economy depends on meeting the employment needs of businesses, in in- demand industries such as Information Technology and Medical Devices. Clear pathways are needed to provide employees with the important skills needed by current and emerging industries. Only 4% of the 265,289 jobs created between October 2014 and October 2015 required a Master's Degree or above, a rate that remained consistent for job growth over the past year. The percentage of jobs created that require a Bachelor's Degree decreased from 47.2% to 45.1% over the same time period while the portion of job created requiring High School Diplomas increased from 36.6% to 37.5 %. The portion of jobs created requiring an Associate's degree saw an increase from 10.5% to 12.2% during the same time period. While Associate Degrees are often overlooked, they have recently grown in importance as a pathway to increased educational attainment without the high costs associated with four -year universities. Associate Degrees, along with various certification programs, can help provide the skills needed to close OC's Middle -Skill gap. IN-DEMAND OCCUPATlONIS • Manufacturing Occupations with expected growth include: Electronic /Electromechanical Equipment Assembler, Production Workers, Welder, Inspectors/Testers, Machinist, Laborers, Material Movers, First -line Production Supervisor, Industrial Engineers, and Industrial Production Managers. • Information Technology Occupations with expected growth include: Computer Systems Design and Related Services, Telecommunications, Software Publishers, ISPs, Search Portals, and Data Processing. • Hospitality and Tourism Occupations with expected growth Include: Food Services and Drinking Places, Accommodation and Food Services, Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation. • Healthcare Occupations with expected growth include: Personal Care Aides, Certified Nursing Assistant, Home Health Aide, Licensed Vocational Nurse, Medical Assistant, Medical /Health /Lab Technician, Registered Nurse, and Physical Therapist. Declaration: The OC Region has priority industry sectors, each with sub - sectors, that emphasis specific skills demanded by employers that include the knowledge requirements for various job openings and particular soft skills that are often just as important as applied skills. Regional Goal /Objective: Targeted meaningful business /industry engagement to increase industry validated education and training programs that lead to credentials with demonstrable labor market value. To contribute to California's workforce goal: one million "middle skill" industry- valued and recognized postsecondary credentials. Strategy: Fostering demand driven skills attainment responsive to industry needs through high value sector focused initiatives that engage partners /stakeholders to identify and determine industry- valued and recognized postsecondary credentials and educationitraining that needs to be incorporated into the development of industry relevant and demand driven programs and regional sector pathways. State Plan Alignment: Fostering demand - driven skills attainment, through workforce and education alignment to provide California's businesses with the skilled workforce necessary to compete in the global economy. CURRENT [A POP FO CEI TI RILET CoNbITfONS The most obvious characteristics of Orange County's regional workforce are its size and educational attainment, which reflect the quality and quantity of available workers, and its employment rate. Orange County's unemployment rate dropped to 4% at the beginning of 2016 and remained near that level for the first half of the year. In June and July, however, Orange County — along with nearly every other California county — experienced an increase in unemployment rates driven by seasonal job losses in government and education and an influx of recent graduates and otherjobseekers in the workforce Aye The largest cohort of working age adults is in the 45 to 54 years bracket, representing 14.6% of the population. These are mature workers who are likely preparing to exit the workforce within the next ten years. The second largest Page 7 19D -22