In response to county-wide concerns in Greenwood about the recession’s effect on the employment rate, area business leaders recently gathered at Piedmont Technical College to learn about current workforce issues and to create goals for improving the resilience of the region’s work force in the future. Hosted by Piedmont Technical College and the Greenwood Partnership Alliance, this event was a definite eye opener for those in attendance.

The morning discussion sought to answer one question — what will our work force look like in the year 2029 and how can we better prepare? Claire Kuhl, the event facilitator, noted that babies born now would be entering the work force that year.

The event began with analyzing local data where a clear trend stood out. “It seems as if soft skills will become more and more important and that’s what today’s work force is lacking,” said a participant in response to one of five mini data presentations. Things as simple as regular workplace attendance were discussed as some of the most common reasons for employees being let go at local companies.

With the current economic situation, it has become apparent that many workers in our area simply do not have the right skill sets for today’s job market. Many popular jobs that have consistently brought in dependable incomes are being outsourced and even eliminated due to company and organization budget cuts and low funding.

Workforce development leaders in the community took away a collective plan to bring new companies to the area that match local workers’ skill sets and also to improve education and increase awareness of new trends in the job market.

The information analyzed at the event included Kids Count data, a focus group summary from Upper Savannah Council of Governments, education completion data, workplace surveys, and demographic statistics from Greenwood County. To learn how to improve your employability skills in this economic time, contact the Continuing Education and Economic Development division at Piedmont Tech, (864) 941-8400.