Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann’s most recent survey of Mississippi businesses shows that there is still a long way to go in connecting employers to potential candidates that have the right training.
According to a news release from Hosemann’s office, “most Mississippi businesses have not connected with career and technical education (CTE) resources at the K-12 or community college levels.”
The chart below shows that over 70% have not connected with CTE programs, and another 10% are not aware of CTE, or rigorous skills training in an academic setting aimed at preparing students for jobs after graduation day.
“When we hand students a diploma, it’s too late to ask them what they want to do with the rest of their lives. We have to connect our schools and businesses today so we can better prepare our workforce of tomorrow,” Hosemann said. “We hope the results from this and other surveys can help move Mississippi toward this goal.”
This was the fourth installment of a series of questionnaires sent to Mississippi businesses over the past two years related to workforce needs, and their responses are broken down below.
- Almost 50 percent of businesses said the average age of their employees is 45 or older;
- More than 70 percent of businesses believe interpersonal skills are the greatest indicator of whether an employee will be successful
- About 65 percent of businesses said they would consider hiring a trained applicant convicted of a nonviolent felony
- About 45 percent of businesses do not provide incentives to employees
- About 35 percent of businesses said they find new employees through social networking.
Respondents also provided ideas on how the State Legislature can help small businesses prosper ranging from continuing to improve infrastructure to reducing burdensome regulations.
The survey was sent out to over 100,000 domestic corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), and limited partnerships (LPs) with over 5,600 providing feedback.
