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Press
Home Press Page 3

Category: Press

September 16, 2016
Press

Making the Right Connections to Close the Skills Gap

assessing skills required - a solution to help job seekers

One startup is developing a solution to help job seekers match skills and potential to jobs

 By Roy Maurer, SHRM.org

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a record high 5.9 million job openings this month, while roughly 8 million Americans are being counted as unemployed and about one-third of employers consistently say that they can’t find the workers they need.

It is striking evidence of the oft-mentioned skills gap—the disparity between what skills employers say they need and the skills job seekers have. Understanding the skills gap is complicated and the solutions are multiform, including educating more people in the skills needed for high-demand fields, implementing more employer training programs and easing up on requirements for open positions.

We’ve realized that national policy solutions are important, but the local business in Massachusetts that can’t find the talent they need to fill a manufacturing contract, that’s the real problem. The skills gap needs to be reduced in the area of aligning skills for particular workforces to meet particular demand.

SHRM Online talked with Mike Knapp and Jason Green, the co-founders of the job placement platform SkillSmart, about their collaborative, community-focused approach to connecting employers, job seekers and educational partners to help close identified skills gaps.

Knapp has more than 20 years of experience in technology, public policy and local government, recently serving on the Montgomery County Council in Maryland, where he worked to create a pipeline of skilled workers that matched the needs of local and regional employers.

Green most recently served at the White House advising President Barack Obama on workforce development policy, among other areas.

SHRM Online: We’ve been talking about the skills gap between employers and job seekers for a while now. Is it closing at all?

Green: For so long there was a question of “Is there a skills gap?” Some would say “No, there’s clearly enough supply to meet demand, but the labor force may be in Arizona when it’s needed in New England.” Well, that’s a skills gap. We’ve realized that national policy solutions are important, but the local business in Massachusetts that can’t find the talent they need to fill a manufacturing contract, that’s the real problem. The skills gap needs to be reduced in the area of aligning skills for particular workforces to meet particular demand.

Knapp: There are examples where the pain point is so significant that specific organizations have figured out a way to close that gap, but those are individual cases. I don’t think you can say that the needle has been moved on a national scale. Skills gaps are evident in sectors such as oil and gas, manufacturing, and construction because you have older workers retiring and a whole cohort of people—Generation X and Millennials—who never entered those industries. So how do you train the next generation to recognize where those opportunities are? Those are the challenges out there. I don’t know if it falls under the traditional definition of the skills gap, but it’s a real thing that companies will face and individuals will have an opportunity to take advantage of if they can find the right pathway.

I was walking the exhibit floor of the SHRM Annual Conference [in June 2016] and listening to people talk about solving the hiring problem. “You need more resumes.” “You need more clickthroughs.” “You need to be able to post your jobs everywhere.” The expectation is that if you comb through more candidates, presumably someone in there is the right fit. People have fallen into that mindset. But what if we did a better job of articulating the skills needed and raked in fewer—but better—candidates? Instead of wading through thousands of resumes to get to a manageable number, why not focus on getting to the manageable number first by being able to see people with a majority of the required skills right from the get-go?

SHRM Online: Where does SkillSmart fit into the workforce development ecosystem?

Knapp: Right in the middle, between employers, job seekers and educational institutions. We saw the opportunity to create a platform that allows those entities to really engage with each other, input their information, and increase the level of transparency and communication in the process. Whether it’s working within a local community or an industry sector, we can provide a place that allows an employer to identify the skills it is seeking for a position. The job seeker can then find out which skills are needed for that position. Maybe they only possess four out of 11 required skills, but they now know what those skills are. Then we link them to where they can acquire those additional skills, whether it’s an experiential or learning opportunity. And their progress can be tracked and measured.

Whether it’s working within a local community or an industry sector, we can provide a place that allows an employer to identify the skills it is seeking for a position. The job seeker can then find out which skills are needed for that position.

Green: Undergirding all of that is good data. The public workforce development system needs better data. Workforce training providers want to make sure that the training being offered is actually going to meet the needs of employers. Once we know the skills that are needed by local employers and the skills that are lacking in the local workforce, employers or community colleges can design a boot camp, for example, to teach those skills. The job seeker, employer and educator all get something more relevant. As a result of sitting in the middle and connecting the dots, you now have a better outcome for all three stakeholders.

SHRM Online: How does SkillSmart work?

Green: Step one is understanding what’s required. Employers’ job postings are broken down into skills to be immediately relatable to job seekers. From the job seeker’s perspective, it is intended to be a place to go and understand exactly what prerequisites and skills are needed for a certain job. For example, it could be a GED [certificate], a CDL [commercial driver’s license] and six identified skills.

Step two gives the job seekers the ability to advertise themselves. They fill out a profile that isn’t limited to past employment or where they went to school. The profile shows where they demonstrated certain skill sets like teamwork or leadership or customer service. It could come from work experience, the military or in a volunteer capacity. Job seekers’ skills information is aggregated and calibrated into a score for each open position. Employers see the score and can easily see who matches to the job best.

The third step is after [a job seeker comes] up short for a particular role, feedback is provided. Without feedback, you don’t know if the reason you weren’t called back is because you weren’t qualified or that they never even looked at your resume. The platform shows job seekers the skills that their experience supports and doesn’t support, and the courses that local education partners provide. We work with Northern Virginia Community College and Prince George’s Community College in the Washington, D.C., area, for example, to break down their courses into skills outcomes and develop lean-learning educational opportunities.

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September 8, 2016
Press

How to Hire Good People for Your Farm Operation

agby Alison Rice, AgWeb.com

Spend just a little time talking with dairy farmers, and you’ll quickly learn about one of their key pain points: finding and keeping good workers.

“We do have a lot of challenges in New York that’s keeping farms from expanding,” Tonya Van Slyke of the North East Diary Producers Association told AgDay this summer. “The first one is really labor.”

It’s a challenge that extends to both hiring and retention. “It’s just difficult to find that person who wants to put in a long day, get dirty, and come back the next day. The folks we have tried to hire typically will stay six or nine months and then they will go on,” added Sarah Noble-Moag of Pavilion, N.Y.

If this situation sounds all too familiar, Mike Knapp has some ideas for you.

“Most employers are pretty bad at identifying the skills they need,” says Knapp, CEO and co-founder of SkillSmart in Germantown, Md., who urges ag employers to focus not on applicants’ specific job title history, but the skills they used in those jobs and whether or not those are a good fit for your operation.

He also encourages ag employers—farmers, ranchers, ag retailers—to think longer term about each new hire and how they might contribute to the future of your operation and even the industry overall. “You can’t just make sure you have the right person today,” says Knapp, particularly if you hope to grow your farm operation. “There is a big gap between the smaller family farms where a few people do everything to the large operations where things are more specialized.”

For smaller farm operations, that’s an advantage worth highlighting with applicants. Rather than pitching a position as just a job, tell potential hires what skills they will learn and how those might fit into their future ag career, Knapp advises.  “This can really help smaller farmers get the entry-level workers they need and also build the pipeline for the industry,” he says.

Afraid of investing all these extra effort only to have these more promising workers leave too? That’s understandable, but Knapp reminds farmers to stay committed to hiring quality workers and helping them develop their skills, rather than simply filling the slot with someone who is good enough for now. “The reality is you’re seeing the same turnover (regardless of who you hire), and you’re not getting the good people,” he warns.

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May 13, 2016
Press

Meet the company behind MGM Springfield’s online job portal

MGM Springfield

by Dan Glaun, MassLive.com

In 2013, Mike Knapp, a former council president in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Jason Green, a White House counsel, launched SkillSmart, a business they hoped would change how companies and communities connect workers with job openings.

Now, SkillSmart is on the front lines of one of MGM Springfield’s most anticipated promises: To hire 3,000 workers once the downtown Springfield casino opens in September 2018.

“It’s unique to Springfield. What we’ve been doing for the last two months is reaching out to community based organizations,” Knapp said in an interview. “We’re trying to tie those in so it’s not just a tool that individuals can use.”

MGM Springfield recently launched its online job platform, using SkillSmart as its platform. While applications will not be open until 2018, jobseekers can create profiles and see how they match up with about 80 positions, from the casino floor to administrative offices.

“What we do is we really break down that job description to 15, 16, 18 skills, that a job seeker can look at and say ‘Oh, I’ve done those things,’ ” Knapp said “The employer can much more readily assess what they can contribute to their organization.”

The MGM Springfield platform connects jobseekers with courses at local colleges like Holyoke Community College, Springfield Technical Community College and Greenfield Community College that are tailored to provide missing skills, Knapp said.

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SkillSmart
May 9, 2016
Press

MGM Springfield launches online job portal

MGM Springfield's online job portal

by Dan Glaun, MassLive.com

MGM Springfield has launched an online job portal, allowing jobseekers to check how their skills match up with the thousands of positions that will be filled as the casino nears its Fall 2018 opening date.

The portal, viewable here, features listings ranging from card dealers to chefs to financial analysts. About 80 of the more than 100 anticipated job classifications are currently online, said MGM Springfield Director of Training and Workforce Development Marikate Murren.

And while applications are not yet open, jobseekers can create profiles that will match their skills and experience to available positions, and link them to courses at local colleges that can make them stronger candidates. The goal, Murren said, is to allow workers to increase their job readiness for when MGM begins hiring an anticipated 3,000 employees in early 2018.

“This will tell people what the positions will be when we ramp up,” Murren said. “We’re letting people know, hey, this is what you’re going to need from a prerequisite perspective.”

The system, which is currently being used to actively fill positions at MGM’s National Harbor casino in Maryland, assigns a score for open jobs based on workers’ education, skills and life experience, Murren said. The company has partnered with local institutions like Holyoke Community College and Springfield Technical Community College to connect potential applicants with job training programs.

“Our hope is to raise the job readiness in general in Springfield,” Murren said.

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SkillSmart
March 29, 2015
Press

Reducing the Skills Gap: Mike Knapp, SkillSmart

Center MarylandCenter Maryland welcomed Mike Knapp, CEO & Co-Founder of SkillSmart — a job placement platform that takes a unique approach to addressing the skills gap that exists between employers and job seekers. Mike explains how SkillSmart identifies and matches employers’ needs to job seekers’ skills and connects job seekers with opportunities to develop sought-after skill sets.

Watch the Interview »

 

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SkillSmart
November 14, 2014
Press

Member Spotlight: SkillSmart’s Jason Green Solves Unemployment Issues Through New Currency.

1776

SkillSmart helps you find your dream job. Whether you are looking to launch a career or find your fit, the company is there for you. SkillSmart is a next-generation job-placement platform that matches job seekers to employers based on skill proficiency.

Jason Green on how to find your dream jobWe caught up with Jason Green, VP of Business Development and cofounder of SkillSmart, to talk about his views on the current job market and how he stepped into the startup world after working in the White House for four years.

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SkillSmart
October 15, 2014
Press

MGM Springfield career fair to draw job seekers to Basketball Hall of Fame

Robert Rizzuto, MassLive.com

MGM Resorts International’s career fair being held at the Basketball Hall of Fame is expected to draw hundreds to downtown Springfield Wednesday, as the company eyes applicants for the 3,000 permanent jobs it is looking to create with an $800 million resort casino just a few blocks away.

The career fair kicks off at 8:30 a.m. with a breakfast orientation, as Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis and MGM Resorts Vice President of Community Relations and Public Affairs Kelley Tucky are all expected to deliver remarks to the crowd. Also slated to address the applicants are executives with the SkillSmart company, which MGM is using to pair applicants with the best possible job match based on their skills and experience.

“What we are trying to do is get people to think about what skills you have acquired doing the things you did. That includes what you learned in all your jobs, whether it is managing a McDonald’s, working in a store, in the military or if you ran the social programs committee at church,” Michael Knapp, the CEO of SkillSmart previously told The Republican.

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SkillSmart
October 15, 2014
Press

MGM Springfield job showcase draws more than 600 to Basketball Hall of Fame

Jim Kinney, MassLive.com

MGM Springfield drew more than 600 job seekers to a career showcase Wednesday at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The event, one in a series of MGM job fairs, came less than a month before voters will decide the fate of the Massachusetts casino industry in a statewide referendum. Signs saying  to vote no, the action that would preserve the state’s gaming law, were available at the job fair.

Michael Mathis, the president and CEO of MGM Springfield, said his company is working to defeat the ballot question while still preparing to open the casino.

“We are in pre-opening mode,” Mathis, who spent the morning at the job showcase, said. “We won’t be caught unprepared.”

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SkillSmart
October 13, 2014
Press

MGM Springfield brings innovative software to job seekers

by Jim Kinney, MassLive.com

MGM Springfield is bringing what it calls innovative job- and employee-searching technology to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Wednesday for a jobs showcase.

The showcase is from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 15 at the Hall of Fame on East Columbus Avenue. No one needs to bring paperwork with them, organizers say. It is necessary to register beforehand; to do so go to the showcase’s website here ».

The fair comes not only in advance of MGM Springfield’s plan to build an $800 million gambling and entertainment complex in Springfield’s South end, but also prior to the November referendum that could rescind the state’s casino law and scuttle the whole deal. Jobs provided by the casino has been a major talking point of casino boosters seeking to defeat the ballot question.

The technology is a set of computer algorithms called SkillSmart, a sort of computer program job seekers will use Wednesday at temporary kiosks set up at the Hall of Fame. SkillSmart gets employers and job seekers away from  the now-common procedure of scanning resumes into a system and then searching them for keywords to identify the best applicants, said Mike Knapp, CEO of SkillSmart which is also the name of the company.

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SkillSmart
October 13, 2014
Press

Officials: Cooperation Needed to Meet Jobs’ Demands

Kevin James Shay, Gazette.net

Education, government and business leaders must collaborate to take advantage of the region’s standing as a national leader in cyber security job openings, officials said during a meeting in Silver Spring last week.Collaboration between officials

 

“It’s not an opportunity, it’s a requirement. We can’t address the significant challenge ahead unless we work together,” said Jason Green, co-founder of SkillSmart, a Germantown-based business that matches job seekers and employers based on skills.

Green is a member of the regional advisory board of Per Scholas, a New York-based nonprofit organization that organized last week’s meeting and provides technology education and job placement. The group has an office in Silver Spring.

The cyber security field is changing quickly, participants said. While a recent security breach at JPMorgan Chase is one of the more publicized threats, there were about 1.5 million cyber attacks monitored in the U.S. last year, according to Per Scholas. Three-fourths of the breaches occur at smaller companies with fewer than 100 employees.

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