Industry Membership Organization Survey

The list of questions and answers here will be updated periodically as new questions are posed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where did the idea of this occupation and education mapping tool come from and what are the overarching goals of this tool?

A: We have been working with employer groups, community groups, and worker groups to understand the changing skills needed to get today’s high-demand jobs and to grow into better jobs. There isn’t a solid answer because technology changes so quickly and changes differently for different sectors. It is difficult for education and training organizations to change or add to their coursework based on anecdotal evidence, but with this tool they would be able to see an industry or occupational trend that might warrant changing curriculum, spurring the need for new teaching equipment or the need to seek new or different industry partnerships.

For students and jobseekers, there is a great deal of misinformation about skill needs and educational pathways to career success. The market is flooded with online, short-term training being sold as a “direct path” to high-paying, in-demand jobs. This portal would provide clear, valid, and easily navigable information to help inform career and education planning.

The idea for the tool started with the Health Industry and the WA Sentinel Network where healthcare providers of all sorts are surveyed twice a year to understand their workforce needs, including how technology is impacting their work. Almost every healthcare occupation is working with some form of technology, if even in providing telehealth care or supporting comprehensive medical records portals. Many education institutions have incorporated technology training into their curricula. The results from Sentinel surveys signals to education and training providers that changes are occurring that might require curricular modifications, or even changes to how training is provided. For example, results from the long-term care industry spurred the development of an LPN apprenticeship program, and the needs in rural areas have spurred the development of online and work-based training.

By the way, learning from the Sentinel Network is being considered in the feasibility and design analysis for this resource.

Q: How might employers benefit from using this tool?

A: We’d like to hear your thoughts on this. Here are a few ideas based on our experiences working with employers on various workforce issues:

1. Employers will be able to gain insight into how their own sector or other adjacent sectors are using technology and how it may be changing and effecting the skills needed for different occupations.
2. They would also be able to find education and training providers that teach to their skill and competency needs.
3. Young people and transitioning workers are often unclear about a path forward when it comes to education and career advancement. Information provided to help them make a decision is often too general, unverified by industry, or out of date. This tool would enable employers to communicate directly and regularly to students and jobseekers about what skills employers are looking for, and about the education and training programs available to help them gain those skills.

Q: What would be the greatest benefit of this tool for workers?

A: This tool would provide information gleaned directly from employers regarding their current workforce needs, but would also take into account the employee perspective on changing skill needs, and the changes to scope and practice of jobs and occupational pathways.

The Harvard Business Review (HBR), over the course of 2017 and 2018 wrote a series of articles based on their interviews with companies undertaking technological change. Many of the companies experienced costly failures from these undertakings. HBR writers determined that lack of worker engagement and no funds dedicated to worker upskilling were the two primary factors in tech-adoption failures.

This tool will provide the opportunity for workers to provide information about their experiences with technology adoption. Their information will help inform students and jobseekers, education and training providers, and also their employers about their experiences on the job.

Q: How is this tool different from Washington Career Bridge?

A: We know from Career Bridge that students and jobseekers are clamoring for information to help them make decisions about education and career planning. Career Bridge gets about 6 million page hits per year. But we also know that users want more granular, real-time information that Career Bridge can’t always provide. Career Bridge describes careers in terms provided by the U.S. Dept. of Labor and does not go more deeply into the skills and competencies provided by education and training providers, such as specific technology skills. 

This tool would provide near real time, occupational data, detailed by needed skills and competencies. The information provided would come directly from Washington employers, workers, and education and training providers, which would allow users to map education and career paths to success.

Q: Would representatives from labor organizations need to periodically provide you with information that would require us to ask questions of the workers?

A: Yes, but we would want to know the easiest way for unions to get information from their members. We could create a portal for direct access by individual workers, or provide the union with periodic surveys, or even arrange to hold periodic town hall type meetings. We want your ideas in this survey about how we make this process the least burdensome and most effective for your organization and those you represent. We would want input from the workers who are using technology now or will be expected to use technology in the near future. The workers’ voice is also important because we want to understand current levels of digital literacy among worker groups. Education and training providers should also be informed when basic digital literacy programming is required in certain regions or within certain sectors.

Q: Would representatives from business organizations need to periodically provide you with information that would require us to ask questions of the employers?

A: Yes, but we again would want to know the easiest way for employer organizations to get information from their members. You’ll see options we considered in the survey, but we want to hear from you about other options that might work better for your organization. We would want direct input from the employers who require their employees to use technology now or will be expecting them to use technology in the near future. From employers, we also hope to understand when there is a sense of urgency to adopt new technology, and we think that the employer associations may be well-suited to help deliver that input.

Q: What are the prospects for future funding beyond the feasibility study?

A: We don’t currently know because both State and Federal Budgets are in transition. A number of philanthropic organizations are looking at similar types of projects. If there is a lot of support for the project, we will package it up and present it to funders and policymakers.

Q: I am not sure I am the best person to answer the survey, but would like to share with my members to weigh in. Can I share this link, or is it not meant for industry professionals?

A: We are trying to limit the total number of responses, but we do understand that you might not feel comfortable answering these questions for your sector.  So, yes, you can send the link out, but note that some of the questions are specifically for the association. If you send the link out, could you please ask them to include your organization in the name line?

You might also send a few of the key questions out to your membership, rather than the survey link, and synthesize the answers in a single response. We can send survey questions to you in Word form if that makes things a bit easier for you.

Q: How long is the survey open?

A: We would like to have all responses in by March 7, 2025.  Do let us know though if you need a little more time.