Employers can’t find qualified workers for jobs — fact or fiction?

Iowa's lieutenant governor made the point straight out.

“There are not enough well qualified science-, technology-, engineering- and mathematics-(trained) workers for all the well-paying positions Iowa employers need to fill,” Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds told business leaders attending the Jan. 30 Iowa Business Council annual meeting in Des Moines. “Many employers are telling us of the shortage they face finding everything from qualified engineers to the machine shop floor.”

It is a widely voiced belief.

But Peter Cappelli, director of the Wharton Center for Human Resources at the University of Pennsylvania, contends the problem is not a shortage of skilled applicants. Instead, he claims there are unreasonable expectations on the part of many employers.

“With an abundance of workers to choose from, employers are demanding more of job candidates than ever before,” Cappelli wrote in an Oct. 24, 2011, column for the Wall Street Journal. “They want prospective workers to be able to fill a role right away, without any training or ramp-up time.”

The problem, as presented by many employers, is “an illusion,” he contended.

In a follow-up column, Cappelli explained he'd “been following this topic since I worked on a U.S. Department of Labor commission in the 1980s.”

Clay Jones, chairman, president and CEO of Rockwell Collins, said the Cedar Rapids avionics manufacturer looks for “base line” skills as well as specific “domain” skills - such as systems engineering - when it is reviewing job candidates.

Jones appeared to partially support Cappelli's argument when he added that most companies look for workers who can make a more immediate contribution without requiring additional training.

“Most businesses don't want to spend a year doing the job of a university getting someone up to speed,” Jones said. “They want to spend a week getting them up to speed.

“If they can do that, they can have a productive employee faster, and that's what we're all going to need in the future.”

While some Eastern Iowa employers are focused on finding candidates with the exact skills required for a position, others such as GreatAmerica Leasing and International Paper-Cedar River Mill are more inclined to “hire for behavior, train for technical.”

“We look for people who have the basic skills for a position and will be a good cultural fit with our company,” said JoAnn Perez, GreatAmerica senior human resources specialist, training and development.

“We look for people who understand the need to do everything possible to provide the best service for our customers. We are willing to provide the technical training that they will need, but they must have the soft skills to work in a team environment.”

Perez agreed that technical skills are needed for positions in areas such as computer systems and finance. She said Cedar Rapids-based GreatAmerica Leasing strongly supports investing in ongoing training for its employees, providing opportunities to learn new skills and advance.

Much the same philosophy has guided the hiring and training of team members at International Paper-Cedar River Mill since the first of its two paper mills began operating in March 1995. The plant at 4600 C St. SW in Cedar Rapids, which employs 220, is the largest cardboard recycling mill in North America and the fourth-largest facility in the world.

“We have team members who started with us in entry level positions and are now operating machines,” IP-Cedar River Mill Manager Pete Thompson said. “We look for applicants who have the soft skills required to work in a team environment and provide the technical training they need to do the job.”

Thompson said the desired soft and hard skill requirements were established by Elgie Harrison, the plant's initial manager, and a core management group before IP-Cedar River Mill began hiring.

“Everyone goes through the same interview process and then participates in a simulation,” Harrison said. “That's where we determine whether they will be comfortable working in a team environment.

“I was surprised to learn when I came here that the hiring process hasn't changed in the 16 years we've been in operation. We've had many talented people who have interviewed with us over the years, but did not have the skills that we were looking for.”

While there may be a shortage of skilled applicants for some jobs, economist Cappelli suggested in his initial Wall Street Journal column that employers are partially to blame for not communicating their future “skill” needs to universities and community colleges.

And that ongoing communication is critical if American workers are to receive the training they need, according to Seth Harris, Deputy U.S. Secretary of Labor.

“Employers need to communicate to training providers, ‘Here's very specifically the skills that I will need to grow and compete going into the future,'” Harris said during a Feb. 3 visit to Kirkwood Community College. “Community colleges and other training providers need to respond to that, and that's what the concept of partnership is all about.

“It has to be an ongoing partnership for us to move students through training and into the jobs of the future.”