Learning the Skills that Match San Diego's Employment Needs

San Diego is a hot and trendy place these days (no pun intended) and draws a lot of motivated young people soaking up good times and seeking exciting employment opportunities. Many of these young people come from different places of the country and the world and have decided to place a shingle on San Diego's coastline. Ensuring that they have the "right skills" to succeed on the local market and feed growing local businesses is important for regional development.

The beauty of young people is that they are motivated and adaptable. A company could take in a fresh face and over time train them to successfully navigate their work environment. Corporate training can instill new knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) to ensure they can operate, build and/or sell new products/services. Young people seeking careers are willing receptors for knowledge.

Outside of corporate training students may come with a college degree that certifies that a level of knowledge has been obtained. That education will come with both general skills and industry specific skills. General skills apply to multiple industries and often focus on skills such as mathematical and writing while specific skills are focused more on those that are most applicable to their chosen industries.

Each regional area is comprised of various kinds of businesses that need their own type of skills. In San Diego you will find industries in blue technology, pharmaceuticals, military, science, micro-manufacturing, hospitality, tourism, and technology making the biggest industry employers readily apparent. Those employers need qualified talent that can fill their needs without adding significantly to their training budget.

The problem of misalignment between jobs and skills is not unique to San Diego. However, by encouraging the development of basic skills in high school and more specific skills in college the gap doesn't need to be as wide. Corporations will be required to train graduates to the specific needs of their company.

Some cities have put in place work oriented programs that retrain displaced and unemployed workers to fill local needs. At other times, corporations may band together and sponsor training programs that help them recruit top talent from the area. A few cities may actively seek specific skills by targeting people from other areas that work in related industries.

Developing skills locally by partnering with community colleges and universities helps in creating a home grown pool of talent. Where gaps still exist training should take precedence that encourages the closing of the skills gap. Feeding San Diego's businesses with qualified talent helps ensure that future investment and growth are possible when the time rises."Put your time, effort and money into training, grooming, and encouraging your greatest asset."- Tom Hopkins

Using Adaptive Learning In Civilian and Military Education

Adaptive learning is a methodology that has been applied to both civilian and military usage. Students engaging in adaptive training learn and growth through a sequence of difficulties and feedback that help them build better models of the materials and then apply knowledge to solving problems. A study of adaptive learning in the military found that certain personalities are more able to capitalize off of adaptive learning (Spain, Pries & Murphy, 2012).

As human beings we learn from our experience and from our social networks. We adapt and change to the environment around us. As new challenges and struggles make their way into our consciousness we continue to find ways to overcome them. As each new struggle and mastery occurs new knowledge is created. 

The same methodology that occurs in our natural environment can also occur in civilian and military education. With the advent of online education it is possible to create adaptive training that becomes increasingly more difficult as one move through the course. As of yet the process is considered expensive and not easy to complete. 

This expense is based upon the need to cater training to individual students. The student becomes the center of learning and that information which helps them adapt is provided on a case-by-case basis making higher levels learning possible as they incorporate that information. Newer information is built on previously learned information to develop higher forms of knowledge. 

The information can be provided by an individual professor/trainer in a face-to-face medium or through an online system. An evaluation of the student's current understanding is made and then new information is provided to help build upon their current understandings to create a bridge to a higher levels of understanding. It is a fairly intensive process that is becoming more automated with new technology.

Adaptive learning may be intense but does produce some of the best learning. Those that are most likely to quickly adapt to situations score high on openness to experience and emotional stability. They are intellectually curious people who can control impulses to think more strategically about issues. The better able they are to experience, reflect and learn the more likely they are to learn new skills. The use of adaptive learning in both military and civilian arenas can help students to find a bridge between their past understandings and new knowledge that helps them navigate their environment. 

Spain, R., Priest, H. & Murphy, J. (2012). Current trends in adaptive training with military applications: an introduction. Military Psychology, 24 (2).

Creating Higher College Value By Connecting to the Business Community

A common question arises about how to raise the value of higher education. With any societal institution there are stakeholders who look on at the changes and scratch their head as if to state something helpful. Alas nothing comes out! Connecting the business community and their ideas to higher educational may just help raise the value of a college education while promoting higher forms of experimental knowledge.

The end user is the ultimate feedback loop that evaluates the product as successful or a failure. The same concept applies to higher education, government, or retail outlets. If the end users are not happy with the product then it will have less value in the future. Turning the scratching of heads into  useful dialogue may just shed a little light on methods of improving higher education output for public consumption.

Advanced economies encourage the creation and dissemination of knowledge for growth. Higher education is the formal institution in charge of that process and fosters higher levels of learning. Developing higher education to advance the civic and economic output of society is fundamental to its existence. Universities should be concerned with the quality and cost of their output.

Higher education develops products in the form of knowledge, degrees and intellectual contributions. End users have a vested interested in the the production of that output and their needs should be considered in any meaningful discussion. Drawing in the businesses community helps to develop stronger curriculum and better scientific models.

Curriculum:The business community is an important source for understanding their employment needs. Curriculum that offers the type of knowledge needed to further society and business interests helps expand America's economic influence. Universities should seek out the business communities input in terms of what knowledge is needed in the market. Lower level courses offering more basic knowledge when compared to upper level courses that include experimentation and application of new ideas.

Experimentation: Ideas developed in academia need to be tested somewhere. Typically after initial experimentation a model is defined and published. A few businesses may read these scientific discoveries and apply the same concepts to their business. Connecting the business community with universities to test and try out new theoretical models encourages faster innovation in society. Business becomes the feedback loop and turns the theoretical into the practical.

Business colleges have a great advantage if they develop appropriate mechanisms to harness the power of the business community and draw them into the discussion to help develop programs that are beneficial to compete in today's market. Modern technology offers the ability to poll and synthesize information that was not possible just a decade ago. Higher education can exploit this information to raise its societal and market value.

Enhancing Entrepreneurial Clusters with Global Supply Chain Networks

Global entrepreneurship is a concept that has made its way into recent economic literature. Small business has the opportunity to reach geographically dispersed customers that was not possible just a few decades ago. These entrepreneurs work within clusters and rely on effective supply chains to ensure that products are distributed to end users. Research by Wu, et. al. (2010) presents a framework for understanding global entrepreneurship where supply chain management serves as a platform for resource collection, market development, and risk mitigation. 

Before one can effective discuss the mechanisms of global entrepreneurship it is beneficial to understand what the term means. Fundamentally, entrepreneurs focus on value creation, development of new products/services, sparking ventures, and encourage market innovations (Brush, et. al., 2003). Entrepreneurs can exist within organizations or own small businesses. 

It is also possible to see entrepreneurs as the un-academic market researchers that seek to find opportunities. Entrepreneurs use their knowledge, skills, and abilities to find advantages in the market and seek methods of capitalizing on those advantages. They must first find an opportunity and then act upon that opportunity to realize capital growth. 

Drucker (1985) discusses entrepreneurial opportunities:

1. The creation of new and unique information

2. Exploitation of market inefficiencies as a result of information asymmetry

3. Acting upon the costs and benefits of alternative resource allocations

Entrepreneurs are highly effective within clusters of similar businesses that help raise knowledge and provide supply chain opportunities.  A cluster can be thought of as a proximal group of interconnected and field associated companies that may include end-product manufacturers, suppliers, and support businesses (Porter, 1998).  It is a grouping of like-minded and industry related businesses that enhance each other’s development.

Clusters develop opportunities to ship related products, draw interested investors, and enhance innovation. Entrepreneurs and investors can find value creation opportunities inside clusters because of the following:

-developed processes due to job specialization;

-high availability and lower prices for resources such as labor force and loan services;

-updated technology and a culture of development;

-lower cost of manufacturing and distribution of products/services due to risk pooling and economies of scale;

-stable demand for products and services;

-strong social networks around core competencies.

The authors conclude that clusters provide unique benefits for entrepreneurs due to the clustering of resources, knowledge, and distribution networks.  Clusters encourage greater innovation in industries as well as reduce the risks associated with conducting business. Both horizontal and vertical supply chain expansion becomes possible when entrepreneurs are used to innovation products and services to develop more opportunities. The mechanisms of distribution should be developed that can bundle smaller batch production to create efficiencies in intercontinental delivery from multiple businesses.

   

Brush, C. et. al. (2003), Doctoral education in the field of entrepreneurship, Journal of Management, 29 (3).

Drucker, P. (1985), Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Harper & Row, New York, NY.

Porter, M. (1998), Clusters and the new economics of competition, Harvard Business Review,

November-December, pp. 77-90.

Wu, et. al. (2010). Global entrepreneurship and supply chain management: a Chinese exemplar. Chinese Entrepreneurship, 2 (1).

Learning About Perception, Creativity, and Science Through Poetry

Few things strike as true as poetry from great artists who pondered the nature of man and the universe. Some poetry is long and some is short but each brings a different perspective about this thing we call existence. The poetry below is about our imaginations and the power of seeing and perceiving the world. Those who feel and see the world do so through their mental faculties built upon the information gathered through their senses.

This knowledge is not reliant only on physical sensation but the interpretation of that sensation. Those with higher cognitive functions adapt, innovate and perceive at a higher level than those who don’t.  They make more connections, understand in greater depth, and can see the impact of decisions from the power of their imaginations.

Consider asking a person with no knowledge on a particular subject to formulate a relevant opinion. Without doubt the far majority will rehash the opinions of other notable people in society.  They may draw from famous thinkers, politicians, or leading figures in an effort to appear knowledgeable.  However, those who use their imagination create something new and truer than simple blind copy.

Imagination is most useful when matched with analytical thinking. We must first make a connection to a concept and then logically and sequentially analyze the truth or falsehood of that new concept. When we do this well we create something called “truth”.  It is a truth based upon new understandings that are supported by fact that create innovative breakthroughs in science and life.

Consider a poem by the British Poet William Wordsworth:

''Imagination, which in truth
Is but another name for absolute power
And clearest insight, amplitude of mind,
And reason, in her most exalted mood.''

The poem discusses perception and the power that comes from understanding. Perception, or “awareness”, mixed with the ability to create a model of an event is based in truth to the perceiver. That model is then tested through thought, experimentation, or experience to develop clear insight for others. Knowledge, perception, imagination, and scientific analysis create ways to innovate. Truth in society is built from generations of people who push forward new truths.

How Knowledge and Technology Improves Small Business?

The Internet has contributed to globalization while small and medium (SME) businesses are finding the ability to connect with worldwide customers and increase revenues. Research by Vanyushyn, et. al. (2011) discussed the implementation of Internet technology for either structural improvements or marketing enhancements. SME adoption of new technology is important for their overall growth and innovative contribution to economic development.

The Internet is reducing borders and spreading new technologies that create shifts in global structure (Kemeny, 2011). As information spreads, cultures change, businesses connect together, and commerce adjusts it develops a wider marketplace. A small business can be located in the U.S. but have customers from nearly any other place on the globe. Such changes were not possible a few decades ago.

New information technology increases interaction between local governments, large corporations, and international organizations while SMEs improve upon their international competitiveness (Ruzzier at. al., 2006).  Because business is less restricted to geography than it was in the past small businesses can find ways of filling gaps and services in an international market while still being grounded in their local communities.

SMEs are also a major catalyst to local and national economic growth. A report by the European Commission (2011) found that “European SMEs are a major source of job creation: More than 50% of new jobs derive from a group of fast growing companies representing 4% of the total number of European SMEs. In addition, almost half of the two million industrial SMEs have recently introduced innovations to the markets.” Such businesses improve upon the employment market and develop new technologies.

To be successful in an ever changing market businesses must innovate and continue to innovate when new challenges present themselves. Innovative behavior is directly related to the performance of innovation by the adaption or creation of new technology, products and/or processes. The adoption and integration process becomes a new source of competitive advantage for both the business and the nation.

Innovation is not only within the realm of technology but also includes the gathering of knowledge to create change. Innovative change comprises proposing new questions, developing new skills, creating technological advantages, or finding new ways of resolving problems (Comison-Zornoza, et. al., 2004). Innovation is a process of learning about new competencies and technologies that enhance performance and then integrating them into processes for higher organizational effectiveness.

The authors studied 1.) the sequence of steps in the adoptive process, and 2.) the evaluation of the contribution of the Internet on international competitiveness. They found that over time new technologies reduce cost, develop skilled specialists and improve productivity. Small firm innovation takes on more of a refinement, production, implementation, and execution of new online channels. SME can integrate new technologies through refinement of process that are realized in more effective production and performance.

Camison-Zornoza, C., et. al. (2004). A Meta-Analysis of Innovation and Organizational Size. Organization Studies, 25, 331–361.

European Commission (2011). Assessing the performance of European SMEs. Enterprise & Industry Online Magazine. http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/magazine/articles/smesentrepreneurship/article_10581_en.htm

Kemeny, T. (2011). Are International Technology Gaps Growing or Shrinking in the Age of Globalization?. Journal of Economic Geography, 11, 1-35.

Ruzzier, M., et. al. (2006). SME Internationalization Research: Past, Present, and Future. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 13, 476-497.

Vanyushyn, V. et. al. (2011). New business models for international performance-a longitudinal study of Internet and marketing. ICSB World Conference Proceedings: 1-17. Washington: International Council for Small Business (ICSB).