Survey of Employers for California Employment Training Panel

The purpose of this brief is to provide key results from this ETP employer survey This survey aimed to capture employer training practices and skill needs in addition to examining how employers benefit from ETP funding. The brief presents an overview of the survey findings with respect to employers’ training practices, workforce skills needs and engagement with partners.

• Employers’ Training Practices. Employers were asked to report on various common training methods they were currently using. They reported using a mix of training methods, both in-person and virtual, instructor-led and work-based. The most common training method that employers were currently using was on-the-job training. This information mirrors earlier findings from qualitative interviews with ETP employers, which showed that although training delivery methods were increasingly incorporating online components, employers still placed a high value on in-person training.

Workforce Skills Needed. The top three types of skills employers reported needing in the near future were:

• Teamwork skills
• Communication skills
• Specialized technical skills

Engagement with Partners. Employers were also asked how frequently they turned to various partners for advice regarding employee training needs. Overall, few employers said they received advice from different partners regarding employer training needs.

Employers also provided feedback on additional needs and support they would like to receive from ETP. The majority of the feedback focused on overall ETP processes and activities. Specifically, respondents reported that ETP should:

• Lower the minimum wage requirements for workers who can be trained using ETP funds to allow more entry and mid-level employees to participate, as well as adjusting the minimum wage requirements by industry
• Allow more types of training to be eligible for reimbursement
• Fund or partially fund on-the-job training
• Increase contract funding limits for high growth companies who can utilize the funds to advance learning to more employees faster
• Improve the administrative processes involved with applying for and obtaining ETP funds (e.g., making all training records web-based, reducing contract review and approval process)
• Provide guidance on how to effectively use ETP funds
• Develop a basic library of training programs that employees can use.

(This report is 8 pages long.)

The researchers identified the following key findings:

• Large companies reported using productive labs and registered apprenticeships more frequently than small companies.
• Large companies reported providing soft skills1 training and managerial/supervisory skills more frequently than small or midsized companies.
• The skill reported most often by large employers as needed in their workforce was specialized technical skills, teamwork by midsized employers, and communication skills by small employers.
• Employers reported that support from ETP helped employers expand training opportunities, increase the quality of trainings, retain employees, strengthen internal pathways for employee advancement, and boost employee morale.
• These findings suggest that ETP is meeting a critical goal of supporting both employers and employees.

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2020
• Author(s): González, R.; Negoita, M.; Folsom, L.; DeFever, R.
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Wesley Peterson
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies