When facing gaps between workforce needs and the skills learners attain, conducting surveys can provide valuable insight to inform solutions.

The Greenville Chamber of Commerce has completed the successful implementation of CAEL’s Bridging The Talent Gap (BTTG), a solution aimed at understanding and addressing the skills gap between the educational attainment of talent pipelines and the needs of local businesses. The partnership with CAEL resulted in the launch of an education and career navigator program at the chamber, TalentRiseGVL. This project serves as a valuable model for other communities facing similar workforce development challenges.

Project Background: A Call to Action

Greenville Chamber President Carlos Phillip’s vision to increase educational attainment for working adults led the chamber to set an ambitious goal: ensure 60% of working-age adults (25–64) hold a high-quality postsecondary credential or degree by 2030, driving economic mobility and prosperity. To rally the chamber’s members in support of their 60x30 goal, he and his team identified BTTG as a key tool.

Project Process: Launching a Successful Survey

The Greenville Chamber applied the powerful BTTG employer survey functions over a six-week period to understand skills gaps and identify solutions. Here’s what made their survey a success:

• Clearly defined goals: Understanding skills gaps and developing data-driven solutions were the core objectives.
• Strategic outreach: The chamber targeted a 30-mile radius around Greenville, reaching out to board members, partners, educational institutions and chamber members with various investment levels. They leveraged email, social media, video messages, postcards and even an incentive (Carolina Panthers tickets) to boost participation.
• Active promotion:Cheryl Garrison, spearheading the initiative, actively followed up with potential respondents, addressed survey fatigue and provided clear information to maximize survey completion.

Survey Results: Unveiling Powerful Data

The survey yielded the following valuable insights that are now informing strategies to close skills gaps:

• Strong demand for partnerships: Only 12% of businesses partnered with educational institutions, but a high 85% expressed interest, highlighting a potential area for collaboration.
• Need for talent across educational levels: More than half of employers anticipated needing workers with postsecondary certificates, technical college degrees and bachelor’s degrees, indicating a well-rounded workforce is essential.
• Interest in education benefits: Over half the companies expressed interest in offering or improving education assistance programs, demonstrating a commitment to employee development.

Action Planning

The Greenville Chamber shared the valuable survey data with various stakeholders, including survey respondents and educational entities. BTTG survey results also include action indices, which provide actionable scenarios to move the needle on educational attainment. Here are some key takeaways:

• Tuition support: Increasing the number of employers offering financial assistance could significantly benefit Greenville’s workforce.
• Education partnering: Encouraging more partnerships between businesses and educational institutions can provide vital support and training opportunities for employees.
• Education benefit use: Improving communication and potentially transitioning from reimbursement to deferral programs can lead to a significant increase in employee utilization of education benefits.

Bridging The Talent Gap Employee Surveys: Empowering Employees

Building on the employer survey’s success, Greenville partnered with three local businesses to complete the parallel BTTG Employee Survey. Here’s what these surveys revealed:

• Focus on diverse populations: A significant representation of BIPOC and entry-level employees participated, highlighting the need for inclusive educational opportunities.
• Awareness gap: A disconnect existed between employee awareness of existing educational benefits and their full utilization, emphasizing the need for better communication and outreach.
• Desire for supportive learning environments: Employees expressed a strong interest in flexible work arrangements, education liaisons and on-site learning opportunities, showcasing a desire for employer support in their educational pursuits.

Case Studies: Businesses Investing in Workforce Education

The three deployments of the BTTG Employee Survey resulted in case studies, each demonstrating the power of comparing and contrasting data-deciphered employer and employee perceptions:

• A pharmaceutical company: The survey identified a need for improved communication about education benefits and a desire for a more supportive learning environment. The chamber facilitated connections between employees and resources and recommended a multi-pronged approach, including workplace flexibility, education liaisons, exploring on-site learning and collaboration on a community education navigator program.
• A nonprofit retailer: The survey revealed a strong desire for educational advancement but also a need for guidance, particularly in navigating the college application process. The chamber connected employees with resources and is collaborating to establish a robust community-based education navigation service to address this gap.
• A rehabilitation center: The survey found employees prioritized flexible learning options to fit their work schedules. Despite challenges, many wanted to pursue education. The chamber is helping the center develop a program, including appointing a dedicated staff person to find educational resources, streamlining benefits to simplify access and exploring on-site learning opportunities. This program will empower employees, improve care quality and strengthen the center’s role in the community.

Conclusion

As a result of partnering with CAEL to complete Bridging The Talent Gap surveys, the Greenville Chamber was able to build a case for and launch its TalentRiseGVL program in 2023. TalentRiseGVL serves and assists adults in navigating barriers to education and career transitions by helping them understand their postsecondary options and developing a plan to obtain a certification, credential, or degree. To date, TalentRiseGVL has served 125 individuals with impressive results:

• 9 have already completed a certification
• 22 are currently enrolled in postsecondary education
• 53 are pre-enrolled (still weighing options, completing an application)
• 22 have been referred to wraparound services
• 76% of program participants are from minority populations and 75% are under Greenville County’s median income

As you can see from the experience of the Greenville Chamber, particularly the cross-sector partnerships that arose from its work with CAEL, BTTG offers great potential for all types of CAEL members. TGN@CAEL’s core membership services also include Data That Move Us, which provides invaluable insight to support the journey of comebackers, from pre-enrollment decisions and preparation to completion. Information on CAEL member benefits and how to join is available at cael.org.