Tech Directions - January 2009 - (Page 4) technically speaking Susanne Peckham susanne@techdirections.com As I write this, in early December, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has just released the most recent figures on the nation’s unemployment rate, and (no surprise here) the news is not pleasant. Nonfarm employment fell sharply, a loss of 533,000 jobs in November, following on the heels of sizable declines in September and October. This means, of course, that the competition for available jobs has stiffened—and that educators need to continue to do all they can to give their students the best possible preparation for the world of work. One area that all students should work on regardless of their intended career—from automotive technician to machinist to engineer—is developing their “soft” skills. The Hardin County (KY) School District recently started issuing certification that other districts, schools, or individual educators might want to emulate. The Work Ethic Certificate, according to the region’s News Enterprise newspaper, aims to ensure that graduating students “will not only know how to do the work at their new jobs, but that they will know how to work.” District Superintendent Nannette Johnston notes that “if there are people who are evenly matched skill-wise for a job, it will be the person with the best work ethic who will be hired.” The Work Ethic Certificate certifies such soft skills as attendance and punctuality and related criteria that educators already monitor. Johnston hopes the certificate will show students the real-world applications of these skills. Tracy Lynch, a spokesperson for Sapphire Technologies, a technology staffing company headquartered in Woburn, MA, confirms the real-world importance of qualifications beyond mere technical skill. She says that good soft skills are frequently the key to a technician’s getting hired. It often comes down to “who has the best communication skills, who can speak clearly and present their ideas well.” (Regarding the value of technical education, note that Lynch cites $71,000 as the annual salary that a computer technician can earn with a two-year associate’s degree.) ACT, the nonprofit research, information, and testing (education and workplace) service pinpoints several soft skills that employers say they want. They include: • Think before speaking and plan before acting. • Treat co-workers with respect. • Be able to quickly summon creativity or imagination to devise cost-cutting or time-saving methods. • Follow through on tasks; be responsible and dependable. • Speak up and exert positive influence (leadership). • Exude confidence and a positive attitude. • Be efficient and neat. • Maintain composure under stress. • Have high aspirations and work to achieve them. Those are a few important additional skills for TE and CTE students to work on. A Prakken Publications Magazine Digital Tech Directions (ISSN 1940-3100) is published monthly, except June and July, by Prakken Publications, Inc., 832 Phoenix Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108. Executive, editorial, and advertising offices are at PO Box 8623, Ann Arbor, MI 48107-8623, telephone 734-975-2800; fax 734-975-2787. Vol. 68, No. 6. Board of Directors Turalee A. Barlow, George F. Kennedy, Janice E. Knope, Susanne Peckham Publisher George F. Kennedy Assistant Publisher & Business Mgr. Turalee A. Barlow, tbarlow@techdirections.com Managing Editor Susanne Peckham, susanne@ techdirections.com Associate Editor Pam Moore, pam@techdirections.com Art, Design, and Production Manager Sharon K. Miller Advertising Sales Representatives Tonya L. White, 800-530-9673 x209, tonya@techdirections.com Matt Knope, 800-530-9673 x200, matt@techdirections.com Richard J. Alden, 603-899-3010, fax: 603-899-2343. rjalden@ techdirections.com David A. Yetman, 603-878-4705;dyetman@techdirections.com Subscription Dept. Vanessa Revelli, vanessa@techdirections. com, 800-530-9673 x217 EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Michael Fitzgerald, Technology Education Specialist, Office of Career and Technical Education, Indiana Dept. of Education, Indianapolis, IN Paul Koontz, President, Denford Inc., Medina, OH Ed Prevatt, School Specialist, National Center for Construction Education and Research, Gainesville, FL John Roccanova, Technology Education, Webutuck Central School, Amenia, NY Mark Schwendau, Technology Instructor, Kishwaukee College, Malta, IL Kendall N. Starkweater, Executive Director,International Technology Education Association, Reston, VA PEER REVIEW BOARD Gregory G. Belcher, Ph.D., Asst. Professor, Technical Teacher Education, Pittsburg State University, KS Daniel M. Claiborne, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Industrial and Engineering Technology, Murray State University, KY Sam Cotton, Ph.D., Asst. Professor, Ball State University, Muncie, IN Ronald F. Gonzales, Ph.D., ASE, Program Chair, Technology Teacher Education Professor, Brigham Young University, UT Clarke Homoly, Assoc. Professor, Dept. of Aviation, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg Robert T. Howell, Ph.D., Asst. Professor, Technology Studies, Fort Hays State University, KS Robert D. Mordini, Ed.D., Asst. Professor, Technology Studies, Fort Hays State University, KS Richard Phillips, Ed.D., Division Chair, Technologies Division, Mountain Empire Community College, VA Joseph Scarcella, Ph.D., Professor of Education, California State University, San Bernadino Mark S. Schwendau, M.S., Technology Instructor, Kishwaukee College, Malta, IL Bert Siebold, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Industrial & Engineering Technology, Murray State University, KY Chris Zirkle, Ph.D., Asst. 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