Funds OKd for Study of Job Needs

Responding to complaints from employers that they cannot find workers with the skills to fill an increasingly technical job market, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday approved a $300,000 survey of San Fernando Valley businesses to combat what leaders see as a critical problem.

Lawmakers and business leaders say the skills gap is a regionwide concern that has made it difficult for Southern California to keep and attract high-paying jobs.

The survey, which will be conducted by the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley over the next nine months, will include interviews with 1,200 businesses, dozens of educators and others. The goal is to determine the disparity between the skills of graduating students and the demands of local employers.

The Economic Alliance will use the survey results to recommend classes and training programs for area high schools and colleges to provide needed skills.

“We want to make sure we have one of the best job pools in the country,” said Robert Scott, vice president of the Economic Alliance. “It is something that can be very critical.”

The demands for high-tech skills are coming primarily from entertainment and multimedia firms, which in recent years have started to replace the aerospace industry as the region’s top employers.

Educators and business leaders agree that most of the focus of Southern California’s job market is the entertainment industry, which accounts for 200,000 jobs in the Los Angeles area and 15% of the Valley’s jobs.

Some business leaders blame the lack of graphics and animation skills on cutbacks in school arts programs during budget crunches.

Bill Allen, president and chief executive officer of the Economic Alliance, said he has worked in the entertainment industry for 20 years and has regularly heard entertainment leaders complain that they cannot find skilled workers.

“In recent years, it’s getting more and more difficult particularly as jobs become more technical,” he said.

Scott agreed, saying: “One of the most common complaints is that applicants can’t even fill out a job application.”

Educators acknowledge that the high schools and colleges are not providing the necessary training to meet the new technical demands of the job market, but they say they are making strides to change that.

For example, Cal State Northridge is launching a new “entertainment industry initiative” this year to teach students the skills in highest demand by employers, such as animation, computer graphics and business management.