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The Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation recently issued its 2024 Talent Demand Report that focuses on three areas Business, computing, and engineering.

The IVEDC a collaborative effort between private businesses and local government driven by the shared goal of expanding and diversifying the economy created the Employer Working Group to address workforce needs among employers.

This assessment aims to communicate the collective demand and strengthen the local pipeline of entry-level talent in Imperial County, the report reads. The Employer Working Group will identify barriers and challenges to securing talent in areas of business, computing, and engineering, with additional sectors being included in future editions.

According to the report, representatives from academia will be involved to learn how to develop curriculums commensurate to industry needs identified throughout the process. Industry representatives will stay engaged with academia to ensure curricula stay relevant to their ongoing needs.

The report reads between 2018 and 2023 the number of jobs has increased by 3 percent, from 70,764 to 72,965.

The report also reads the labor force participation rate rose by 1.5 percent during the same period. However, 41.2 percent of those 16 years of age or older are not in the labor force.

According to the 25-page report, 7.7 percent of Imperial County residents hold an Associates Degree, 23.3 percent have some college attainment, 12.2 percent hold a Bachelors Degree, and 4 percent hold a Graduate Degree. About 28.3 percent or 31.200 residents have less than a high school diploma.

Also, the IVEDC report shows unemployment as of May 2024 was 15.4 percent a decrease from 5 years prior.

Since 2018, job opportunities have been steadily increasing, the report continues. With the development of Lithium Valley now underway, we anticipate continued job growth in Imperial County in the coming years.

The report highlights the fact that over 10,000 students attend local education institutions each year, whether part-time or full-time.

The IVEDC report reads that with the introduction of the Lithium Industry Force Training programs at the Imperial Valley College and the $80 million state-of-the-art STEM Innovation Hub at the Brawley Campus of San Diego State University the Imperial Valley is expected to meet the growing industry demand for a skilled workforce within Lithium Valley.

Strong partnerships between industry and local educational institutes are essential to bridging the gap between industry needs and training programs, the report reads.

The IVEDC said through the report the Employer Working Group was formed to provide insight into employer challenges and needs. The Corporation added that the report does not aim to reflect the needs of all employers in Imperial County but to outline important skill requirements for entry-level talent.

By sharing this information, we hope to identify a list of skills that employers agree are crucial for entry-level talent to be successful in their roles, the IVEDC report reads, acknowledging the EWG that represents multiple industries participated in a survey to share their local demand for talent. Their combined insights highlight the specific skills and qualifications needed to meet their workforce demands in Imperial County.

The report also says the EWG initially focused on three skill sets in business, engineering, and computing, but within varying industry sectors from utilities, renewable energy, public sector, construction, and engineering. The report highlights the hard skills, soft skills, software skills, and industry-specific skills essential for entry-level candidates.

Companies reported little to no turnover across all occupations surveyed and encountered minimal difficulty when filling business entry-level positions, the report adds. Despite having a sufficient number of applicants per position, a notable challenge in hiring for these roles was the lack of candidates having the necessary training and/or education.

According to the report, across various fields, the most common degree requirement for business entry-level positions is a Bachelors Degree, closely followed by a High School Diploma.

Companies highlighted a gap in proficiency among entry-level candidates in hard skills such as research and data analysis, communication skills, and presentation skills, all of which were rated as highly important for their roles.

While soft skills like verbal and written communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking were deemed crucial, findings from the survey indicate that many entry-level candidates demonstrated only basic proficiency in these areas.

Employers ranked hard skills from most to least important communication tools, computer proficiency, presentation skills, research and data analysis, marketing/social media management, and cold calling , as well as soft skills collaboration, dependability, verbal communication, critical thinking, detail-oriented, customer service, problem-solving, adaptability, and written communication.

Regarding software, employers enlisted Microsoft projects on top of the essential skills required, followed by systems, applications, and products, Paycom, Quickbooks, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Suite, and Adobe Acrobat.

In the business industry, employers require a Bachelors Degree in 66 percent of cases for entry-level positions, and 33 percent require a High School Diploma.

While employers found little to no difficulty in finding qualified candidates for customer service representatives and marketing and communications, business owners reportedly found some hardship in finding candidates for finance, accounting, supply chain, and logistics, as well as some to great difficulty for project managers.

Typically, employers need from one to three months to hire entry-level candidates for finance, accounting, marketing, communications, supply chain, logistics, and purchasing, and less than that time to hire customer service representatives. Once again, surveyed employers assured it takes up to half a year to hire entry-level candidates as project managers.

For the computing industry, companies reported varying demand levels among computing entry-level positions, with higher demand observed for information technology (IT) support technicians and system/network administrators compared to cybersecurity analysts, while software developers showcased the least demand, the IVEDC reported.

The most common degree requirement across all entry-level positions was an Associates Degree or Vocational Certificate, closely followed by a Bachelors Degree.

Computer companies highlighted a mismatch between their expectations and candidates qualifications, despite receiving sufficient applicants. Many candidates lack the required training and/or education for these roles, particularly in critical hard skills considered very important by employers such as troubleshooting, fundamental networking knowledge, effective communication, and documentation skills.

Additionally, companies emphasized the importance of soft skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, adaptability, and customer service, areas where candidates often demonstrate novice experiences, the IVEDC report reads.

Consulted computing industry employers also set a list of hard skills from the most to the least important: troubleshooting, operations systems basics, effective communication and documentation, fundamental network knowledge, active directory and user management, and programming basics.

Regarding soft skills, computing employers underlined verbal communication and collaboration as the most important, orderly followed by customer service, dependability, written communication, and detail-oriented.

In terms of software knowledge, computing industry employers included Windows Active Directory, Windows Operating Systems, Systems, Applications, Products in Data Processing (SAP), Geographic information systems, supervisory control and data acquisition, Microsoft Suite, and Adobe Acrobat skills.

Employers in this sector said in the survey had no to some difficulty finding qualified entry-level IT support technicians or software engineers, but some to great difficulty for system and network administrators and cybersecurity analyst jobs.

These same employers told the IVEDC it takes from one to three months to find qualified entry-level candidates in the first two cases and up to six months in the last two.

Companies across engineering reported some turnover and significant challenges in filling entry-level engineering positions, the report reads.

Despite having a sufficient number of applicants per position, a notable challenge in hiring for these roles was the lack of candidates having the necessary training and/or education, the report adds. On average, it takes companies 1-3 months to find qualified entry-level engineering candidates.

According to survey results, for entry-level engineering positions, a Bachelors Degree is the most common degree requirement, while an Associates Degree or Vocational Certification has been listed for Engineering Technician roles.

Companies emphasize high importance on both hard skills and soft skills for entry-level candidates, the IVEDC wrote in the report.

The skill level of entry-level candidates in areas of important hard skills such as safety training, equipment testing/maintenance, basic tool knowledge were often rated as deficient or neutral, the report reads. This highlights areas where classes or programs involving hands-on training could significantly benefit candidates.

Surveyed engineering respondents said basic engineering principles and basic tool knowledge were the most significant hard skills to find in candidates, followed by safety training and data analysis equipment training and maintenance.

Regarding soft skills, from most to least important engineering employers enumerated dependability, verbal communication, problem-solving, written communication, adaptability, detail-oriented, and critical thinking.

Asked what type of software entry-level candidates skills should have, employers responded AutoCAD Systems, Applications, Products (SAP) 2, Microsoft Projects, MATLAB/Simulink, Civil 3D, Primavera, Deltek, Microsoft Suite, and Adobe Acrobat.

While finding qualified entry-level candidates for engineering technician positions was described as having little to some difficulty (from one to three months), employers said having some difficulty finding qualified candidates for general engineering jobs (over six months).

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Imperial Valleys Talent Demand Report focuses on business, computing, and engineering - Imperial Valley Press