Workforce Innovations

Feature
The Roots of Silicon Valley:
NOVA's Study of Foundational Occupations

NOVA proudly announces the release of the latest in its series of industry and occupational reports: Silicon Valley Roots: Foundational Occupations with Growth Potential. NOVA has spent much of the past year studying a number of "foundational jobs" within Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. This labor market study provides a comprehensive overview of 28 occupations that form a significant part of the foundation of Silicon Valley's exceptional workforce. While the Valley tends to be known for its high-tech industries, this study highlights those jobs that exist independent of the "silicon sector," most of which had a foothold in the region decades before high technology made its first appearance.

The majority of the jobs selected for the study can be found within most communities throughout the United States and were selected based upon several factors, including projected growth relative to present numbers locally, salary potential, and additional benefits and opportunities, as well as the ease of individuals transitioning from non-related fields. The occupations studied cover a variety of occupational sectors and include budget analysts, police officers, biological technicians, automotive service technicians, teachers, electricians, dental hygienists, fire fighters, respiratory therapists, licensed vocational nurses, and carpenters, among others.

NOVA's intention with this study was to focus on occupations that are highly valued and provide a unique role in the strength of local economies and communities. Many of these occupations provide services, but are not part of the growing low-wage service sector. Rather, they are professions that require highly skilled and knowledgeable workers, provide strong wages, and in many cases, offer significant opportunities for advancement.

One of the trends identified among all occupations in the study was the impending retirement of the Baby Boomer generation and the resulting need for replacement workers. This overhaul of the workforce will subsequently require a new generation of leaders who can advocate for their professions and establish innovative practices allowing for continued growth and advancement of their respective employers and industry sectors.

Another significant finding was a nearly unanimous dependence on such interpersonal and soft skills as verbal and written communication and the ability to work well as part of a team. While most of the occupations studied are not considered high-tech jobs, the research determined that technology–computer skills and knowledge–is an essential element to many of these jobs, particularly in their reliance on technology-based information and communication systems. Automotive repair, for example, increasingly requires the use of computers to diagnose, measure and run automotive systems and public safety professionals must utilize computer and high-technology systems for emergency response, communication, and documentation purposes.

The research also found that individuals from diverse backgrounds and possessing varying levels of education and experience could transition into most of these occupations with minimal education. Many of these occupations allow for some form of on-the-job training and roughly half require some type of licensing or certification, often requiring testing or some level of education or experience.

NOVA's method of anthropological research, utilized throughout its Workforce Publications series of labor market research, consists of identifying workers, employers, and training providers with particular knowledge and experience in the occupations or industries in question and interviewing them to gain a greater understanding of the real-world opportunities and challenges present. More than 150 individuals from nearly 90 organizations were interviewed for this particular study, which also includes considerable data from government sources.

On March 7, NOVA held a public forum at the Pipe Trades Training Center in San Jose in order to share the findings of the study. The forum featured a panel representing some of the primary occupational sectors featured in the report. NOVA Workforce Board member Luther Jackson, executive officer of the San Jose Newspaper Guild, and Louise Auerhahn, associate policy director for Working Partnerships USA, provided an introduction to the study. NOVA staff explained the methodology of the study, highlighted trends found among the occupations, and moderated the panel discussion. Panelists included Don Johnson, chief and director of Sunnyvale's Department of Public Safety; Charlene Sun from the City of Sunnyvale's Finance Department; and Tony Redmond of Kaiser Permanente and Paula Resa of the Carpenters Training Committee of Northern California, both of whom are also members of the NOVA Workforce Board.

Silicon Valley Roots, NOVA's 18^th labor market study, is available online as a PDF at www.novaworks.org/lmi. Bound copies of the report are also available for the nominal cost of postage by contacting NOVA directly at publications@novaworks.org or at (408) 730-7835.