Experimental Proposal

[Student Name]

School of Technology, Eastern Illinois University

TEC – 5143: Research in Technology

[Instructor]

May 1st, 2019

Title Page 1 Table of Contents 2 Introduction 4 Purpose of the Study 4 Research Questions 5 Question 1 5 Question 2 5 Hypothesis 5 Limitations 5 Delimitations 5 Nature and Significance of the Study 6 Definitions 7 Methodology 8 Research Design 8 Framework Diagram 8 Experimental Design 9 Participants 9 Materials 9 Groups and Selection Procedure 10 Experimental Procedure 10 Experimental Analysis Methodology 11 Assumptions 12 Subject/Selection and Description of Participants 12 Data Collection 12 Literature Review 12 Timeline 16 Discussion 17 References 18 Appendix 20 Appendix A 20 Appendix B 21 Appendix C 22 Appendix D 23 Appendix E 24

There are millions of jobs in the United States that are not filled due to a lack of skilled workers (Albattah, Goodrum, & Taylor, 2015). America’s infrastructure and growth require a workforce that demands a certain set of skills in order to maintain and develop its health. There is a need for such workers but the need is not being met due to a shortage of skilled workers and worker training. The reasons for the shortage include high technical level job requirements, a retiring workforce of knowledgeable skilled workers and a lack of proper training required to meet the high level skills needed and replacements for the retired workers.

This study is to determine the reasons for the shortage of skilled workers in the current workforce. This study will identify the causes for such reasons and categorize them so they can be better understood. There are two possible causes for this shortage, retirement of older skilled workers and the lack of training of new workers (Stockard, 2019). This research will show what can be done to correctly identified said causes and provide possible solutions in order to minimize its impact on the American workforce. The workforce emerging from the recent generations has been overly influenced by technology and the idea that a college degree is needed to make “good money” (Rothwell, 2016). Possible solutions from discovered causes may include changing policies in the current education system in order to expose and broaden the scope of skills training to a target population. By doing such, a balance between the demand of skilled workers and successfully trained workers can be achieved.

This research intends to investigate the current mindset of Americans concerning skilled trades as a successful career path. The research will be based around the following questions:

What are the possible causes for the lack of skilled labor in the United States workforce?

What is the general thinking of Americans as to what needs to be done to possess a successful career?

In my research, I believe there is a direct correlation in the decision process for a high school student as whether to go to college or work in the trades and the influence of a parent or guardian. The decision for college or the trades is based off the combined decision of the student and parent, this is my hypothesis. The null hypothesis is whether the decision is based solely on the parent/guardian or solely on the student. Any occurrence in the data that is not the combined decision by the student and the parent/guardian is considered the alternative to the hypothesis.

In Research Design, for the questionnaire, I would not be able to control the amount of feedback from the students and the parents. The feedback acquired will also limit the data collected to either support or refute the hypothesis stated above. The correct questions provided in the questionnaire in order to provide sufficient data for the research. The amount of data collected will be sufficient for research, resulting in a degree of validity for the research.

I believe I can target the correct sample source for my questionnaire due to the significance the topic possess and how it relates to a high schooler’s decisions of their future and their parental support. I will be able to focus the questions in order to retrieve the opinions that are pertinent to the research. Although, I will not be able to control who will reply to the questionnaire, I can attempt to make it available to the target population by developing it into multiple forms. Such as a hard copy in meetings or an electronic copy that can be sent by email or with the use of an on-line survey/questionnaire generator.

When the possible solutions have been identified from the factors in the lack of unskilled workers in the workforce, we can effectively change policies and procedures that would promote growth in the American economy. It would be significant to learn the cycle of skill demand and worker training in order to provide the workforce with the proper amount of skilled workers for the current workload. This balance between what companies require and what the current workers can provide is structural employment. Companies could use additional knowledge in seeking out prospective workers for their requirements. Through the use of apprenticeships and early training, companies can head off any shortage in any given cycle. When there is not a shortage or surplus, a balance can be maintained for the positive growth of America’s infrastructure, economy and technology.

Skills Gap

When the workforce does not have enough workers and skilled candidates to fill an ever-increasing number of high-skilled jobs. (SHRM, 2019)

Skilled Worker

Adam Smith, in The Wealth of Nations, defined skilled laborers as, “The policy of Europe considers the labor of all mechanics, artificers and manufacturers as skilled labor”. (Rothwell, 2016) The National Research Council states that middle-skilled technical jobs are those that require training beyond a high-school degree but less than a four-year degree. (Rothwell, 2016)

Vocational Training

Training that focuses on knowledge and skills needed for a specific trade, craft or job function. This includes can come in the forms of internships and apprenticeships with hands on the job experience and on the job training. (Stockard, 2019)

CTE

Career and Technology Education is a mainstay in the American education system, it is a main contributor in successful careers in high school students when it comes to training and educating for the technical and industrial workforce. (Wilkin & Nwoke, 2011).

Structural Employment

The mismatch between the skills required by companies and the skills possessed by the workers in the workforce. (Kahn, 2015).

Apprenticeships

A program to train new recruits into a trade by using the mentoring system. (Buckley, 2019).

Compensation

The use of financial benefit to retain and recruit workers in the trades that use higher skills. A possible solution for employers to influence workers to the use of higher skills by offering more financial opportunities. (Buckley, 2019).

Generations

The group of individuals of nearly common age that has experienced similar historical events during periods of time that are important in a person growth and development. Primarily, the Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials. (Real, Mitmick, Maloney, 2010).

My research design leans to the cross sectional study. The two groups that would be samples and compared would be high school students in their senior year and their corresponding parents or guardians. The benefit is the collection of all the data in a certain period of time although it may span several weeks. I believe the difference in the age groups is acceptable because this study realizes the two groups may be like minded in the end goal of a successful career but not the same when it comes to how it is accomplished. Although the two age groups may be of similar thought process (or not), there will be variables that will cross over between the high school students and their parents. Some similar variables may be the definition of a successful career and/or college is a preferred means of achieving the career. Some dissimilar variable may be the worth of attaining the career or the amount of debt accrued in the end.

This study will focus on the school district within the Regional Office of Education #11 area. This ROE includes primarily rural districts in the area surrounding Eastern Illinois University.

What problems do Americans have concerning the use of manual labor in finding a successful career?

American Work Mentality Skilled Labor Gap Career Path

Manual Labor Successful Career

Training/ Education Debt

The experimental design will be a modified one-shot experimental case study with two separate groups. The groups being high school students and parents/guardians. Although the experiments (questionnaires) between the two groups may have different and opposite observations, the single measurement of college or trades is the required result. There may be more variables that influence the result but the final outcome is what the research is focusing on for the research. In the defense of this simple design, the effect of Obs2 on Obs1 will be observed as well.

Group 1 Tx1 Obs1

Group 2 Tx2 Obs2

The participants for this research experiment are high school seniors and their parents/guardians for the current school year. If it is decided that a time series study of multiple years would be beneficial for a long tern study, the same type participants would be used for each year after.

A student questionnaire (Appendix A) will be sent to the local upperclassmen, with a series of questions concerning college, the trades, manual labor, and cost of tuition with the perceived status of different career pathways. Short answers would be requested on the form and an invitation to participate in a focus group would be offered to all who complete the survey. A parent questionnaire (Appendix B) would also be sent out asking the parents ideas about skilled trades, college and career success.

The first group of this study would be both male and female students in their senior year of high school as they approach graduation or seriously consider their options for employment after high school. This is Group 1. The second group of this study would be the parents or guardians directly related and responsible to the individual students in Group 1. There will be a relationship between the two groups, one of dependency of Group 1 on Group 2 and a responsibility of Group 2 on Group 1.

1) Distribute an informational letter. This letter informs students and parent/guardians of the study and how they can participate. Briefly describe the study and questionnaire and the time commitment will be made known.

2) Delegate the questionnaire on said dates and times at the prescribed location or locations.

3) Focus groups would be formed from those partisipants who completed the questionnaire. Meetings would be held on a school night when students and parents may not have a conflict with work, sports or clubs. Two meeting times per high school area would be offered to try and get as many participants as possible. The focus group interview protocol will be developed based on the results of the questionnaire. Focus group meetings will be recorded so that statements can be reviewed and analyzed.

4) Collect all questionnaires distributed, filled out or not, completed or not.

5) The data collected will be separated in many ways.

a) The number of students are for going to college.

b) The number of students are for going into the trades.

c) Those going to college, what percentage had parent/guardian approval.

d) Those going into the trades, what percentage had parent/guardian approval.

e) Of all questionnaires, make a list of the top five one word descriptions of a successful career.

f) Of all questionnaires, make a list of the top five most influential people.

g) Of all questionnaires, list the percentage of either College or Other.

After all of the questionnaires are collected, a chart of the eight questions will be generated. Condensing the data into totals and most common responses will be completed. Questions that required a yes or no response will be totaled in a columns of yes or no. The question for college or other will be similar. In the case of the one word descriptions of a successful career and most influential persons, a list will be generated. The top five of each list will be added to the chart. A chart will be completed for the student survey and for the parent/guardian survey. A final chart will be completed with both student and parent data combined.

Bar graphs will be used for the two option responses, yes or no and college or other. (For examples, See Appendix C) Two additional pie graphs will be used for descriptions of successful and influential people. (For examples, See Appendix D & E) This will be completed for both student data and parent/guardian data, followed by a combination graph of both data sets. The bar graphs will be generated by entering and sorting data into Microsoft Excel. Excel will create the graphs.

For the purposes of this research, it is assumed that not all students and parents of the junior and senior classmen would be willing and able to participate in this research study. I would like 70% rate of return of the questionnaires but 50% would be acceptable for my research. I believe 50% would be sufficient in answering the questions for this research. It is also assumed that will be a relationship in the answers generated between the student and the parent/guardian. The bulk of the data will be like minded students/parents both college and the trades. There will also be outliers for those students wanting to go into the trades while their parents do not and for students wanting to go to college while their parents do not.

The participants of this study would primarily be both male and female students in their junior and senior years of high school, as they approach graduation. These students have a tendency to pay more attention to their future, make initial decisions for study/work options after high school, and the plans necessary to meet their goals. The second group of participants would be the parents of the upper classmen because of their potential influence and support of the upcoming graduates. Discovering the monetary support offered by the parents is another consideration because of the cost of college or possible support for the students after graduation.

There are millions of jobs in the United States that are not filled due to a lack of skilled workers (Albattah, Goodrum, & Taylor, 2015). This shortage is called the skills gap. America’s growth in industry is limited to the amount of workers it possesses that can meet the demand of highly skilled workers. There are two possible causes for this shortage, retirement of older skilled workers and the lack of training of new workers (Stockard, 2019). This lack of training might have been more a mismatch of skills, skills required by the firms and the skills supplied by the workers. (Kahn, 2015) I believe there are many reasons that can be broken down into smaller facets as to the cause of the skills gap. This review looks into several possibilities.

Aging and Retiring Workforce

As the older workers retire, they take with them years of knowledge and training in their fields. For example, the Baby Boomer generation made up 49% of the construction trades workforce. As this group has entered the retirement age, recent generations were not looking at construction as their primary goal after finishing high school (Albattah, Goodrum, & Taylor, 2015).

Generations

During the investigation of this research, the questions of why does this gap occur and what are the attitudes of those that are associated with the skills gap. The attitudes of the three significant generations that deal with directly the skills gap in the trades in the United States. The three generations are Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials. The research by Real, Mitmick and Maloney, three questions were asked to Millennials concerning work ethic, job values and attitudes and beliefs on gender issues. (Real, 2010). Surveys and focus groups were used to create that data for this study using a sample from a national trades union with 8,000 workers. The authors came up with four practical suggestions from this study. First, different communications needs to be used when dealing with different generations. Second, supervisors need to form better relationships with Millennials for mentoring. Third, supervisors need to give more information concerning job requirements. Finally, feedback and rewards are motivators for Millennials.

Training/Education/College

It is surmised that the best career path for today’s average American, starts by heading to college to attain a degree in higher education. The workforce emerging from the recent generations has been overly influenced by technology and the idea that a college degree is needed to make “good money” (Rothwell, 2016). The mentality and attitude seems to be that working a trade is less desirable than pursuing a four year degree at college. The downside of a college education is the debt acquired after four years (or more) without the solid prospect of a job. In the same respect, a high school graduate who acquires training in a trade school or other skilled area, would have little to no debt, with skills that can be taken anywhere in the U.S. The latter in the minds of most modern Americans is not recognized as being as successful as the job potential of a college graduate. Higher education is not totally taken out of the equation in regards to providing a solution to skills shortage. Career and Technology Education (CTE) is a means to expose and educate high school students to the types of careers that require being trained in some form of skill. Unfortunately, CTE teachers are one of the groups that is affected by retirement of experienced teachers resulting in a shortage of qualified educators and trainers to reduce the skills shortage. (Wilkin & Nwoke, 2011)

Unions and Apprenticeships

For two years, 80% of 2,500 companies report difficulties in finding workers for hourly craft positions, this is from a survey conducted by Autodesk and the Associated General Contractors of America. (Buckley, 2019). One possible solution to narrowing the skilled labor gap is to provide greater compensation with bonuses and incentives. This solution appears to be plausible but only in respect to entice workers who were already considering the trades, it may not work to lure prospective workers who are undecided. Another solution may be unions recruiting candidates for apprenticeship programs. Unions have been significantly increasing their apprenticeship intake according to Mark Breslin, CEO of United Contractors, a union of about 450 contractors in California. (Buckley, 2019). Currently the federal government and state agencies regulate the standards for training apprentices in the United States. The unions have been stating that there should be a shift away from the government to businesses and schools when it comes to the regulation of construction apprenticeships. Union control and influence may mean better benefits, wages and incentives for the union workers. According to Gary Labarbera, president of the building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, steady and stable compensation is better for the health of the industry. (Buckley, 2019).

Government and Policies

The shortage of skilled workers is a function of polices on education and unemployment. There needs to be better polices in order to match the right worker with the right demand made by companies. Polices by the government concerning spending on training, education and fiscal responsibility can address unemployment concerns and the skills gap. The research article by Lawrence Kahn from the research by Peter Cappelli and Katharine Abraham, who wrote concerning different aspects of the skills gap, mentions one of the indicators of a gap is the wage of workers. With the absence of skilled workers, the wage of the skilled job should increase, this did not appear to happen. Since there wasn’t a rise in wages, was there a shortage in skilled workers? Instead of a worker shortage, Cappelli states jobs were seen as overqualified and should be redesigned with better training to existing workers. (Kahn, 2015). Abraham found that a possible skills gap cause was the rise in students going into college. The rate of return from the investment of a college degree is 15%, much higher than the return investment of stocks, gold and housing. (Kahn, 2015). It paid more to go to college than having a skilled labor job. Another article by Cappelli and Abraham mentions how policies influence vocational training and education. The youth of our country need to involve themselves in positions of skilled workers. The current policies by government do not direct them into these paths.

Manual Labor/Trades

Manual labor has the stigma of being the lesser path because of the difficult work that is associated with the work (Liberty Pen, 2016). Adding to the lack of exposure to the trades and early training to interest young workers, is the shortage of career and technical education(CTE) courses at high schools across the country (Wilkin & Nwoke, 2011). The U.S. is experiencing a teacher shortage, including a lack of CTE instructors. The skilled workforce that had been able to teach welding, construction, automotive repair, diesel mechanics and other types of coursework has retired, leaving few workers to do double duty – working their skilled trade job, while offering to help out the local school for an hour or two to teach a class (Devier, 2019).

The study will held during the spring semester due to the finalization of commitments to colleges will be solidified more as opposed to the prior fall term. The ideal timeframe would be several meetings within a month in order to maximize the possibility of reaching as many students/parents as possible. The start time at night would be set that would generate as many participants as possible. Finally, I would reserve the facility over several nights with minimal conflicts with other school events and community events. When all the data has been collected in the form of the questionnaires, it will only take a few dedicated days to gather the data in a condensed form for analysis. Conclusions can be made soon after, with in a day, after reviewing the condensed data from generated graphs.

Training and education appears to be one of the solutions in placing the right skills in the hands of the right people at the right time. The aging and retiring workforce could be used as a resource in the training of the next generation of workers. Their past knowledge and insight could lead to an increase in understanding and awareness of the use of the skills required to complete tasks resulting in faster work times and advancement in techniques. There needs to be a new mentality in the American society in regards to seeing that trades and the use of technical skills as means to being successful by American standards. The research project conducted in a local area would be a benefit for the local economy and businesses. The data generated would hopefully guide and direct local policies and programs to train and educate local workers.

Albattah, M.A., Goodrum, P.M., & Taylor, T.R.B. (2015). Demographic influences on construction craft shortages in the U.S. and Canada. 5th International/11th Construction Specialty Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia.

Buckley, B. (2019) “Labor Shortage Continues, Most Companies Report”

ENR: Engineering News-Record. 283(8), p28-30.

Devier, B.H. (2019). Teacher shortage and alternative licensure solutions for technical educators. The Journal of Technology Studies, 45(2), 48-59.

Kahn, L. (2015) “Skill Shortages, Mismatches, and Structural Unemployment: A Symposium”

M. ILR Review. 68(2), p247-250. DOI: 10.1177/0019793914564960.

Liberty Pen. (2017-04-16) Mike Rowe: The Skills Gap [Video file.] Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY8ode602_8

Wilke, T. & Nwoke, G.I. (2011). Career and technical education teacher shortage: A successful model for recruitment and retention. Journal of STEM Teacher Education, 48(1), 22-35. DOI: doi.org/10.30707/JSTE48.1Wilkin

Real, K., Mitnick, A, & Maloney, W. (2010) “More Similar than Different: Millennials in the

U. S. Building Trades”, Springer Science+Business Media,

DOI 10.1007/s10869-010-9163-8

Rothwell, J. (2016). Defining Skilled Technical Work. Issues in Science & Technology, 33(1), 47-51.

Society for Human Resource Management. (2019). The Global Skills Shortage – Bridging the Talent Gap with Education, Training and Sourcing [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and- surveys/Documents/SHRM%20Skills%20Gap%202019.pdf

Wilkin, T. and Nwoke, G. (2011) "Career and Technical Education Teacher Shortage: A Successful

Model for Recruitment and Retention," Journal of STEM Teacher Education:

Vol. 48 : Iss. 1 , Article 6. DOI: doi.org/10.30707/JSTE48.1Wilkin

Stockard, S. (2019). Workforce development – Facing a shortage of skilled labor. Economic

Development Journal, 18(3), 45-50.

Yglesias, M. (2019). The “skills gap” was a lie. Retrieved September 2020, from

http://www.vox.com/2019/1/7/18166951/skills-gap-modestino-shoag-ballance

Student Questionnaire

1. How do you define success in a career? (Brief One Word Descriptions)

2. In what manner do you think is necessary to achieve success? (College or Other)

3. Do you think you could be successful with a college degree? (Yes or No)

4. Do you think you could be successful without a college degree? (Yes or No)

5. In making your decision for your future, what people influence your decisions? (List two please)

6. Would you consider a career in the local trades? (Yes or No)

7. Would you be concerned what people thought of you if they knew you didn’t go to college? (Yes or No)

8. Does the type of work associated with the trades discourage your decision to think of them as an option? (Yes or No)

Parent Questionnaire

1. How do you define success in a career? (Brief One Word Descriptions)

2. In what manner do you think is necessary to achieve success? (College or Other)

3. Do you think you could be successful with a college degree? (Yes or No)

4. Do you think you could be successful without a college degree? (Yes or No)

5. In aiding your child in their choice for their future, what people do you see influencing their decisions? (List two please)

6. Would you consider a career in the local trades suitable for your child? (Yes or No)

7. Would you be concerned what people thought of your child if they knew they decided to not go to college? (Yes or No)

8. Does the type of work associated with the trades discourage you to suggest them as an option for your child? (Yes or No)

Influencers

parent friend teacher grandparent boss 39 23 18 10 10

Questionnaire A/B/Combo

Yes/college

60 75 65 25 50 80 No/other

40 25 35 75 50 20

Questions

Participants Response

Descriptions of Success

leader respected secure worth provide 45 20 15 10 10