Life Goals: Gen X v. Gen Y

According to the 2006 Gen Next Survey from the Pew Research Center, Generation Y wants to get rich (81 percent) and famous (51 percent). Their Generation X predecessors, by comparison, place less importance on these goals, with 62 percent seeking riches and just 29 percent seeking fame.

Mayoral Candidate Runs on Workforce Development Plan

Philadelphia is plagued by troubling workforce statistics. Only 20 percent of Philadelphians have a college degree, ranking us 92nd out of the 100 largest U.S. cities. Moreover, the city also ranks poorly with regards to workforce participation (96th out of 100 largest US cities.) Mayoral candidate, Chaka Fattah has released an "Opportunity Agenda" aimed at coordinating efforts to increase the educational attainment of adults, raise wages and place Philadelphians in good jobs. Read Fattah's plans...

Older Workers: Should They Stay or Should They Go?

Boston College has released a report about policies to promote the labor force participation of older people. The report is quite candid about the cost disadvantages of older workers and cautious about policy recommendations. The potential recommendations are: a. raise social security's earliest eligibility age b. exempt older workers from social security payroll tax once they reach earliest eligibility age c. make older workers more valuable to employers by increasing their skills The authors conclude that none of these recommendation is likely, but I think that option c is the most politically feasible. Don't you? Read the full report here.

The Right Stuff

Dan Pink (author of "A Whole New Mind") spoke with educational leaders at today's Regional Arts Education Day. Pink's presentation style and storytelling was exceptional and his message was well received by the crowd. After all, arts educators are pretty happy to hear that competing in the global economy will require the very skills and competencies that they help foster! The incredibly good news about the event was the number of school superintendents in the audience. They get it AND they're working together, regionally, to make meaningful changes. One wonderful step in the right direction is forming stronger partnerships with the business community. A representative from Quaker Valley School District mentioned that they'll be doing an "Educator in the Workplace" program. Another participant mentioned bringing people into the classroom to explain how creativity is applied at work. Very cool. Check out Dan's website and blog. Or learn more about the Arts Education Collaborative.

March 16th Update: Read the Post-Gazette's coverage of the event.

My cubicle

In contrast to the uber cool workplace mentioned in the previous post, here's a little song about the average office environment... the cubicle.

Uber Cool Building

Take a look at the picture. Is it.. a. An opera house b. A tourist center c. An auto factory d. All of the above

Read more...

More great pictures here

Great News: Teens Love to Read

Isn't it nice to see something positive in the news about teenagers? Today's teens are buying books at the fastest rate in decades and the teen publishing industry is booming. Read more...

Campy

Pittsburgh Magazine had a great article on summer camps. Many camps have a "career exploration" element. Here are some of the local camps mentioned in the article and a few others that might be of interest.

Camp/Grade/Host/Timeframe/Price/Contact Info

• Animation Video Production/14-17 year olds/Pittsburgh Filmmakers/Aug 20-24/$255/www.pittsburgharts.org/ 412-361-0455
• Architect/9 to 12^th grade/Western PA Conservancy/Application and essay due April 1^st / Camp- July 7-14/$650/www.fallingwater.org/ Cara Armstrong: 724-329-1441
• Audubon E-Scape/6 to 8^th grade/Audubon Society of Western PA/July 6-8/ $170, $135 (members)/www.Aswp.org/ 412-963-6100
• Beadmaking Bonanza for Beginners/14 and up/Pittsburgh Glass Center/July 2-7/$600/www.pittsburghglasscenter.org/ 412-365-2145
• Biotechnology/6 to 8th grade/Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative/July/Free/http://www.ptei.org/412-235-5116
• Ceramics Intensive/12-16 year olds/Pittsburgh Center for the Arts/July 23-27, July 30-Aug 3/$445 members, $465 non-members/www.pittsburgharts.org/ 412-361-0455
• Crazy about Cartoons/6 to 8^th grade/Point Park University/June 25-29/$225/http://www.pointpark.edu/summer/412-338-2489
• Creative Curators/15-17 year olds/Pittsburgh Center for the Arts/June 18-22/$255/www.pittsburgharts.org/ 412-361-0455
• Creative Dramatics/9 to 12^th grade/Point Park University/July 23-27/$255 (before May 15)/www.pointpark.edu/summer/ 412-338-2489
• Digital Video/9 to 12^th grade/Pittsburgh Filmmakers/July 5-30/$295/www.pghfilmmakers.org/ 412-681-5449
• Engineering & Technology/10 to 12^th grade/Point Park University/June 25-29/$255 (by may 15)/www.pointpark.edu/summer/ 412-338-2489
• Environmentalist (other camps available for different ages, refer to website)/14-17 year olds/River-Quest/July 25-29/$375/www.Riverquest.org/ 412-231-2712
• Filmmaking/9 to 12^th grade/Pittsburgh Filmmakers/July 5-30/$295/www.pghfilmmakers.org/ 412-681-5449
• Guitarist/9^th grade and up/Duquesne University/July 23-27/$425 (by July 6)/www.guitar.duq.edu/workshops.htm/ 800-934-0159
• Introduction to Digital Photography/14 to 17 year olds/Pittsburgh Filmmakers/Aug 6-10/$255/www.pittsburgharts.org/ 412-361-0455
• Jr. Rowing Summer Camp/9 to 12^th grade/Three Rivers Rowing Association/June 11-29, July 9-27, July 30-Aug 17/$180- 3 weeks/ $350- 7 weeks /www.threeriversrowing.org/ 412-231-8772
• Musician/9 to 12^th grade/PA State University/July 15-21/$525/www.outreach.psu.edu/proga/musiccamps/ 800-778-8632
• Operation S.M.A.R.T./Girls 10-15/YWCA of Greater Pgh/June 18-Aug 17/$600/ www.ywcapgh.org
• Pilot/12-18 year olds/Pittsburgh Flight Training Center/July and Aug/$749/www.pghflight.com/ 412-466-1111
• Radio Theater/6 to 8^th grade/Point Park University/July 9-13/$255/www.Pointpark.edu/summer/ 412-338-2489
• Scientist/6 to 8^th grade/Carnegie Science Center/TBA/$100/www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/ 412-392-4418
• Screenwriting/9 to 12^th grade/Pittsburgh Filmmakers/July 5-30/$295/www.pghfilmmakers.org/ 412-681-5449
• Textile Design/9 to 12^th grade/Carnegie Museum or Art/TBA/TBA/www.cmoa.org
• The Game Modding/13-17 year olds/ID Tech/June 17-Aug 3/Day Camp: $729 week/ Overnight: $1,129/www.internaldrive.com/ 888-709-8324

Other Camps (not featured in the article)

• Science (Robotics, Scientist, Space, etc.)/Ages 6 and 7/Carnegie Science Center//$180 member/ $195 non members/http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/default.aspx?pageId=263
• Graphics/10-14 year olds/Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technical Center/July 10-14//www.wiu.k12.pa.us/ewctc/schoolnews.html
• Animal Art Summer Safari//Westmoreland Museum of American Art/June 14-18//www.wmuseumaa.org
• A Blast from the Past//Westmoreland Museum of American Art/June 21-25//www.wmuseumaa.org
• Mixed Media Mania Art Sampler//Westmoreland Museum of American Art/June 28-July 2//www.wmuseumaa.org
• Art with a Pop//Westmoreland Museum of American Art/July 12-16//www.wmuseumaa.org

Benchmarking Pittsburgh

Although this report was conducted for St. Louis, the benchmarking data sheds some light on Pittsburgh's situation, relative to comparable areas. (Kudos to the East West Gateway Council of Governments for a very thorough report!) A lot of our usual depressing trends are continuing. (We don't attract people from other countries or have many babies.) But there is also some good news. Our gross metro product is growing (the tech sector, in particular). We don't have many teen pregnancies or car crashes. Our unemployment rate is better than Seattle's. Of course, there's still plenty of bad news. Check out the stats on minority and women owned businesses. Dreadful. Also, we're #1 in cancer incidence and population age 65+ with a disability. No wonder health care jobs are booming. By the way, got this great information from my new fav workforce blog, Convergence.

Has Your Office Gone to the Dogs?

The New York Times has published an entertaining article about dogs in the workplace. Apparently, this practice is on the rise and creating some interesting challenges for management. (What do you do when your office neighbors find drool in the elevator offensive?) While some messy situations that may arise (ha ha), many firms are finding that the benefits outweigh the costs. Bringing Fido to work can better employee recruitment, retention and morale. It may even improve client relaxation and satisfaction. Read the NYTimes article. Read about therapy dogs in the King County Prosecutor's Office. Read suggestions for dog-in-the-workplace programs.

New Yorker wisdom: Job interview with the devil

Check out this animated cartoon.

Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job

Check out this Philadelphia Daily News story about the need to provide jobs in the inner city. The article prompted me to take a closer look at the Philadelphia Chamber's work in this area. One piece of the workforce development puzzle is providing early, meaningful work experiences. As a result, the chamber has made a commitment to provide A LOT of internships. While I get nervous about these big number commitments (it may emphasize quantity rather than quality), it's good to see employers stepping up to the plate. It also looks like the group is being thoughtful about this -- They're seeking paid internships, pursuing incentives and encouraging mentoring.