1. Global Economy
2. Technology
3. Population Trends
4. Labor Force Changes
   

We could spend an entire workshop talking about each of these topics. They are covered in depth in Otto's book or future workshops could focus on them more.

1. Global Economy: (Otto, p 20-21)(Otto, p. B1-Realites 1)

• Not only is it harder to find good jobs, but the rest of the world has become more competitive with the U.S. in producing goods and services for world markets.
• We are currently competing in the global economy with low-wage, low value-added workers. We need to respond with more quality, high-wage jobs to sustain a high quality of life.

2. Technology: (Otto, p. 21-36) (Otto, p. B1-Realities 1 & 2)

• The U.S. commitment to developing high technology is part of a national strategy to create a more skilled, more productive, more competitive, higher-wage work force.
• High Tech jobs do not necessarily require sophisticated technical skills. Most of us will use technology increasingly, but the technology will be unobtrusive (Ex. remote controls, cellular phones, microwave ovens, VCRs, etc).
• New workers need to have good work habits to master basic education requirements and to upgrade their technical skills in a timely matter.

3. Population: (Otto, p. 37-41) (Otto, p. Bl-Trends 1)

• Our population's growing larger, people are living longer, the average age is increasing, and the population is becoming more diverse racially and ethnically.
• As our population changes, demands for goods and services change too. There will be needs to produce goods and services for a larger, older and more diverse population. This will have a big effect on where the jobs are.

4. Labor Force: (Otto, p. 41-44) (Otto, p. Bl-Trends 2)

• The labor force is growing faster than the population is increasing. There is a more diverse population working such as women, youth and minorities. Men's labor force participation is declining.
• Population and labor force changes will affect the supply of workers and the demand for products in the years ahead.

1. How many of you finished your Personality Work Wheel activity?
2. Did your current career match with what was on the wheel?
3. What was the number one career choice for the young person you worked with?
4. Encourage parents/adults to use this wheel with the young people they work with.
5. This activity is for fun and to interest individuals in a work wheel. It is a reminder that youth need to consider interests, activities and personality when considering a career path.
   

1. Ideally, we need to teach children about careers at the preschool level and progress through the model. Notice the core values in the center. The entire community needs to help guide and instruct youth in career exploration.
2. When did you begin to help a young person with their career choice? When they were a high school junior or senior?
3. Try to begin giving guidance at an early age and encourage others to teach career guidance early in a child's life.
4. If you have local examples, like job shadowing or apprenticeship programs, talk about them at this point in the program.
5. An outcome of the Secretary of the Labor Department's report of skills industrial leaders, which identified the skills needed for the workforce, is a report called "The Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills" (SCANS). SCANS competencies and foundation skills are included in the Work Preparation Experiences Handout (handout #6).

1. Show and SCANS competencies (overhead #7) (competencies) include:

Resources - be able to manage
	Time   Money   Material and Facility   Human Resources
Interpersonal - being able to
	Work as part of a team   Teach others   Serve clients/customers   Lead   Negotiate   Embrace diversity
Information - be able to
	Acquire and evaluate   Organize and maintain   Interpret and communicate   Use computers to process
Systems - be able to
	Understand   Monitor and correct performance   Improve and design
Technology - be able to
	Select   Apply to the task   Maintain

2. Show SCANS foundation skills (overhead #8) (skills)

Basic
	Reading, writing, etc.
Thinking
	Creative, decision making, etc.
Personal Qualities
	Responsibility   Self-esteem   Social   Self-management   Integrity   Honest

6. Employers are also looking for people who practice a work ethic.
   
   

1. Start the cassette tape or CD with a work song such as "Proud Mary" and begin to flip paper plates with the Wheel of Work (activity #4) mounted on them. (This is like spinning frisbees.) Make sure that everyone gets one. Do it quickly. To save time, flip a few out and pass the rest to the group.
2. Ask participants to be thinking how each point on the wheel relates to career exploration.
3. Ask five people in the audience to state one of the words on each spoke and share why this is an important consideration when choosing a career or give personal examples for each one.
4. Discuss each of the spokes using some of the following information. (Wheel of Work) (Otto, p. 109-114)

1. Earnings and Benefits (Otto, p. 110)

• Many times this is the first thing a person looks at when choosing a job.
• People use money to buy life's essentials (food, clothing, shelter) as well as life's luxuries (entertainment, vacations, cosmetics).
• We earn these resources in wages or salaries.
• Money is exchanged for needs and wants and maintains a standard of living. How much a family needs has been steadily increasing. A family of four in 1993 needed at least $575 a month to live. Costs are doubling every decade.
• Fringe Benefits are also important. They supplement compensation by a third to a fourth of earnings.That means that for every three or four dollars earned, employers set aside another dollar in benefits for the job holder.

2. Identification (Otto, p. 111-112)

• Work tells others who we are.
• Occupations "place" people in our minds. The labels "doctor" and "judge" gives us clues about a person's education and income. Indicate social status.
• Lifestyles are closely associated with people's occupations.

3. Schedules and Social Patterns (Otto, p. 112)

• Work dictates how people spend their time and whom they associate with.
• Tempo and rhythm of our life.
• Works dictates our hours, vacations, if we work at home or on the weekends, etc.
• It structures our time.

4. Associates (Otto, p. 112)

• Work determines our friends and who we spend time with.
• Work sorts people into groups by regulating their schedules and assigning them common tasks.

5. Meaning and Satisfaction (Otto, p. 113)

• People seek purpose and meaning in life from their work.
• What people think about themselves is tied closely to the work they do. A good job means more than earning good wages. It means doing work that makes a difference, work that is important to the worker and possibly to others.
• Two sets of job characteristics affect worker satisfaction. Some have to do with work conditions. These include pay, working hours and supervisory practices. Others have to do with the content of the job: What the person does on the job, responsibilities, and what the end product is.

6. Continuing Education (Otto, p. 113)

• Learning experiences come with the job. These affect workers' mental capacities.
• People who do work that requires thinking and judgement gain confidence in their ability to handle "real work" problems and increase respect for their own capacities.

Jobs, opportunities and standards of living are based on the economics of supply and demand, not merely on the years spent in educational institutions. The labor force leaves footprints, trends that show us the direction in which things have come. Knowing the trends improves the probability of making a good fit for choosing a career.

When you first begin looking at employment projections you will need to narrow it down into two categories:

• Industrial sectors or divisions
• Occupational employment

1. Divide the participants into six groups.
2. Give each group a key card (cards have the point and examples on them).
3. Have each group discuss their key cards, think of a definition for the key or think of an example to explain the key.
4. One person from each group will report to the total group.
5. After each group has shared with the total group, point out other factors listed below that relate to that point or key.

1. Growth rate and numerical growth are different concepts. (Otto, p.164-165)

• Two different concepts. High growth does not mean many employment opportunities. Numerical growth is, however, what you look at when you are looking for employment.

Example: A bean factory employs 2,000 people and the Chamber of Commerce predicts that employment will grow 10% over the next 13 years. On the other other side of town is Johnny's new Microchip Mouse Trap Company with six people on the payroll. He expects his company to grow by 50% in the next 13 years. Which offers the most employment opportunities?

Answer: The bean company with 200 as compared to three in the other company.

• Not only may the number of jobs available in high growth industries be small, but the qualifications may be steep.
  
• Slow or moderate growth rates of a large occupation normally provide more employment opportunities than do small, fast-growing occupations.

2. Increased productivity does not necessarily mean more employment opportunities. (Otto, p. 165)

• Increased productivity may be due to technological innovations.

Example: The Agricultural industry. American farm productivity has been going up. Industrial improvements, green revolution-fertilizers, technology, transportation, etc. Is the number of people farming increasing or decreasing? What percentage of our population is farming?

A. 2%    B. 30%    C. 40%

Answer: decreasing, 2%

3. Take both occupation and industry projections into account. (Otto, p. 166)

• To know what a person does, you have to know both his or her line of work and the major field of activity in which the person is involved.
  
• In choosing a career you need to choose an occupation and industry.
  
• The informed parent/caring adult or young person will study employment projections for industries with the same vigor as they explore projections for occupations.

Example: Which would be the better choice for you, if you wanted to be a bookkeeper? The medical field or mining industry? _______________________

Which would have greater prospects for climbing the ladder or making a lateral job change?
_______________________

Answer: Medical field. The larger industry will have more opportunities than the smaller one.

4. Most employment openings occur because workers need to be replaced, not because there is employment growth. (Otto, p. 166)

• More than 90% of employment opportunities occur because workers retire, change jobs, become disabled, go on leave, die or otherwise need to be replaced.

Example: What are some reasons why there are openings in business?

Answer: People retire, change jobs, become disabled, go on leave, die.

5. Labor Force Projections are perishable. (Otto, p. 167)

• Data gets old and projections become dated and this could be misleading.
  
• Other considerations include whether the information is national, state, regional, local; if it was gathered objectively or is a marketing tool and whether the coverage is comprehensive or selected information.
  
• The quality of your information is critical.

Example: What are some things you should consider when reviewing labor force projections and handouts?

Answer: See above points.

6. Examine both national and state employment projections. (Otto, p. 167)

• National information gives a broad-brush sketch of employment opportunities over space and time, but regions and states differ widely in their labor force composition.

Example: What percentage of jobs in the District of Columbia are in government? What percentage of jobs in Indiana are governmental jobs?

Answer: 51% in District of Columbia and only 14% in Indiana.

Example: What percentage of jobs in North Dakota is farming? What percentage of jobs are farming in Alaska? Connecticut? Massachusetts? District of Columbia?

Answer: 18% in North Dakota, 0% in the rest of the locations listed.

1. National and State Information
   Occupational Outlook Handbook or State Information.
   (Obtain from the library or job service)

2. Occupations with High Earnings, Fast Growth, and Numerous Employment Openings (handout #5)
   
   Review some information on the handout.

If time permits, review information on the handout.