Member Perspective: Bili Mattes

Guest Commentator: Bili Mattes, D.Ed., Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Harrisburg University @HarrisburgU

How can higher education institutions help employers close critical talent gaps and accelerate economic mobility for our region’s workers?

Higher education is at a point of uncertainty and opportunity as we all face significant economic, demographic, technological, and global change – change which has been accelerated by the global pandemic. The way we work, learn, play, and interact have all been impacted over the past year. I’m sure, like the Harrisburg University community, you are experiencing many conversations about the “new normal” and what this will mean in the context of your own organization.

Going forward, employers need higher education institutions to focus on four critical aspects when designing programs and services in order to close critical talent gaps and expand the competitiveness of the region’s workforce:

Always Consider the Needs of Both Students and Industry – If programs and services are in step with the current and future workforce needs, then students, graduates, and working professionals can gain and build the skills they (and the organizations for which they work) need to be competitive. To do this requires real and constant interaction with industry as a norm and driver for program development that is specific to career readiness, development, and advancement. Relevance is key.

Access is Critical – Access has many dimensions to include technological access and design that builds in flexibility in terms of schedules. For example, higher education needs to design more courses and programs that combine virtual and on-campus activities, and that may only require students to be on campus for key, applied activities like labs – labs that are also well planned out and justify a trip to campus. It also means reviewing policies and procedures, such as admissions requirements, that may narrow access. It means considering a student over a lifetime and how their access requirements might change. Access is key.

Diversity and Inclusion Support Workforce Outcomes – Higher education remains a key supplier to the workforce. It is incumbent upon institutions to pay attention to the diversity of their faculty and staff members. Students especially see faculty as role models and when they can relate to faculty (e.g. in terms of gender, ethnicity, and experience) this plays a role in student persistence and success. In turn, this can support diversity and parity in the workforce, especially in science and technology where women and minorities remain significantly underrepresented. Diversity and inclusion are key.

The Degree is One Option – Employers and employees have a growing need for alternative credentials (not only degrees) that target specific needs for quicker entry into the workforce, upskilling, and reskilling. Programs that are modular and stackable to include certificates, badges, apprenticeships, and customized training are on the rise because they focus on building specific competencies and they shorten (and chunk) the time to completion. Innovation and flexibility are key.

In short, higher education can help by finding the best ways to work with industries to ensure that the design and delivery of programs and services are relevant, provide good access, support diversity and inclusion, and are innovative in addressing critical talent needs and workforce competitiveness.

Through Recharge & Recover PHL, the Chamber is working with our members to position Greater Philadelphia as the new national model to learn, apprentice, and work in the jobs of the future.