Assessment of the Technical Training Needs of the Lawrence Community

Abstract

The Policy Research Institute (PRI) at The University of Kansas was contacted by the USD 497 Administrative Task Force on Technical Education to assess the technical training needs of the Lawrence community. The purpose of the study was to help the Task Force identify gaps in the technical training system available in Lawrence and assess how these gaps limit the ability of firms in Douglas County to acquire adequately trained workers as well as upgrade the skills of current employees. In other words, the research team at PRI looked at how the workforce training system affects the ability to retain and expand local businesses and to recruit and grow new business. To help determine the gaps, the study also looked at the skill deficiencies of new and current employees, what types of training are available and where, the degree of satisfaction with that training, and the difference between skill requirements and training available.

The assessment occurred from November 2004 through April 2005 and was divided into three study areas: 1) Assessment of the technical training needs of local employers, 2) Assessment of the technical training currently available to local employers, and 3) The ability to meet current and future technical training needs of the community. The assessment of the technical training needs of local employers included two focus groups of local businesses and a telephone survey of local businesses. The assessment of technical training currently available involved conducting an inventory of programs currently available and interviewing key personnel involved with those programs. The third part of the study, determining the community’s ability to meet current and future technical training needs, involved conducting additional focus groups of students, administrators, teachers, and counselors and identifying best practices that could serve as models for Lawrence and Douglas County.