MCC SkillsMatch Helps Put Finger Lakes Residents Back to Work
February 23, 2021
New tool matches personal skills and interests to job openings and educational opportunities
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – About a third of all work tasks are handled by machines, with humans doing the rest, but by 2025 the balance will shift, according to a World Economic Forum report released in October 2020. It said new jobs triggered by the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) would emerge in health care, big data and the green economy, replacing routine or manual jobs in administration and data processing.
Closer to home, Monroe Community College is working to further strengthen the pipeline of skilled workers after its groundbreaking Future of the Technician Workforce Study revealed Finger Lakes employers’ increased demands for a new generation of multiskilled technicians as Industry 4.0 transforms businesses over the next five years. To prepare job seekers for success in the 21st-century economy, MCC is helping residents, especially adult learners, define their career paths through SkillsMatch (monroecc.emsiskills.com), a simple web-based, skills- and career-matching tool.
This free tool helps individuals identify their personal interests and marketable skills based on their work history and educational background, then matches their current skills to local careers while directing them to additional next-step skills that will be helpful in pursuit of the pathways. Applicable MCC programs are provided as well as regional job opportunities that are a good fit. Anyone — including military veterans, career changers, and out-of-work individuals — can use this tool, accessible anytime and anywhere.
This methodology supports MCC’s new model for career readiness, integrating self-assessment of students’ skills and interests with personalized career counseling services aimed at helping match students to academic and training programs prior to enrollment. This model is the backbone of MCC’s efforts to grow the local workforce and fill high-demand, self-sustaining occupations.
“People are ready to safely get back to work while regional employers in growing industries tell us they are struggling to find qualified workers,” said Todd Oldham, Ed.D., vice president of Economic and Workforce Development and Career Technical Education at MCC. “Through SkillsMatch, MCC connects students’ talents and interests to specific skills and educational opportunities that align with careers most in demand. The addition of SkillsMatch complements our workforce development mission in the community and will be a valuable tool in a post-COVID-19 recovery.”
Jeff Guldenschuh
Jeff Guldenschuh, an MCC student who is pursuing a career change, said he has taken job aptitude tests over the years to help him make an informed decision on his next career.
“I think this (SkillsMatch) is a great tool for someone who has no idea what they want to do but have a good feel for their skills and interests,” said Guldenschuh, a quality assurance technician at a food processing plant for the past five years. “I like the fact that it gives you job listings from the local area. I do know I want to find a job in accounting as soon as possible.”
Nicole Douglas, an MCC liberal arts and sciences student, said she initially sought career advice from her oldest brother before an MCC counselor introduced her to SkillsMatch.
After completing the online self-assessment, Douglas said, “I learned that a majority of my results were within the fields that I wanted: architecture and engineering. This tool can be beneficial for current and incoming students who aren’t too sure about their career choices.”