Norm Augustine, Nancy Conrad, Vint Cerf and the West Philly EVX Electric Car Team put in their two cents and then some on technical talent pipelines in the US today and what smart companies are doing to turn it all around... Read the Transcript

Norm Augustine Board Member The National Math & Science Initiative http://nationalmathandscience.org

Norm Augustine has held positions in government, industry, academia, and the nonprofit sector.  Augustine has served as under secretary and acting secretary of the Army, chairman and CEO of Martin Marietta Corporation and later chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation, and professor at Princeton University.  He has been chairman of the National Academy of Engineering, the Defense Science Board, the American Red Cross, and the Aerospace Industries Association, served as president of the Boy Scouts of America and was a 16-year member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

In this article, we look at the current state of efforts in the United States to rebuild technical talent, at the skills companies will find in short supply in the coming years, and what you can do to build these skills for your organization today. The issue of skills shortage has enjoyed a small reprieve over the course of the downturn as companies are happy to save the cash and let a few jobs sit empty while demand is low. That could soon change. Skills in short supply (and therefore in heated competition) range from researchers to those who can read blueprints, accountants, and digital marketers. What they all have in common is technical savvy and thinking. Gordon cites that, “U.S. businesses can no longer use these countries as talent safety valves to fill their future unmet skill needs.” This is due in large part to the fact that labor shortages drive up wages and higher wages attract talent from the countries to return and enjoy the increased pay. Tim Gould, in an article for HRmorning.com lists the most likely fields to feel the effect of retiring baby boomers as, “oil and gas producers, manufacturers, educational institutions, health care, and government.” Affecting every industry across the board, digital and mobile strategy faces a shortage for a different reason - the area is not yet old enough to have an educational pipeline. Promising efforts to change the cultural root of the problem are under way at EIC, the Conrad Foundation and others with growing corporate backing. As for digital marketing, a new breed of talent with a new mindset is required. This type of thinking is not often taught in college (of course, neither is mobile strategy). As a result, more businesses may turn to internal training to cultivate such resources. To turn these skill shortages into an advantage, understand the following. Technical talent pipeline problems in the US will get worse before they get better. The US can no longer use China and India as surrogate technical talent pipelines. There is hope for rescuing the culture of math and science in the US. Digital thinking skills will be in demand in the coming years. Lastly, apprentice with experts in mobile and digital to build internal skills.