Skills Gap Estimates for Institutional and Individual Decision-Making: a Progress Report

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2014-06

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Program

Citation of Original Publication

Zhang, T., Stevens, D., Jing, L. (2014). Skills Gap Estimates for Institutional and Individual Decision-Making: a Progress Report. Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation and Jacob France Institute.

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Abstract

This report is intended to narrow a communication gulf about the popular skills gap topic. The main communities of interest and action the authors seek to reach through this report are public and non-profit education, training and economic development leadership teams. The authors hope this report advances convergence toward a shared understanding about whether and how available skills gap estimates should be used in specific defined applications. A communication gulf exists between researchers that prepare skills gap estimates and recipients of these estimates that then act, in part, on the new information. Researchers typically pay attention to more nuances about the links in the logic chain from adoption of a skills gap definition, through measurement, to presentation of findings, than the recipients of these estimates to have time to absorb and consider with regard to a pending decision. The communication gulf matters because some important decisions are made based in part on beliefs about the existence, magnitude, composition and trajectory of skills gaps.