Ambiguity About Preparation for Workforce Clouds Efforts to Equip Students for Future
Ask Billy Harper, the president of Harper Industries, if he has trouble finding employees for his eight construction-related companies scattered across the United States, and he doesn’t mince words. “Absolutely,” he replies.
“It’s the same story, not only in Kentucky, but everywhere,” says the head of the Paducah, Ky.-based enterprise, which has some 1,000 employees. “Just finding warm bodies is hard in itself, people willing to work. And then finding the skills and the traits that you’re looking for makes it even more difficult.”
Figuring out what employers like Mr. Harper want has become an urgent issue as educators try to retool schools to prepare students for both work and college in a rapidly changing economy. And, so far, there...
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