DUQ Special News Report

The Future of Our Region: Workforce Development
Audio Archive

If you missed DUQ's Workforce Development reports, you can listen to them now by clicking on the links below.

Topics include an increase in job openings due to impending retirements; what local firms are doing to train new workers; immigration and the regional workforce; a shortage of healthcare workers; and the role area educators play in training a new workforce. Support for "The Future of Our Region: Workforce Development" is provided by a grant from the McCune Foundation.

Listeners are encouraged to respond and react to the reports by sending an
email to: region@wduq.org

Click here for a list of resources, including web sites for people and places mentioned in these reports.

To listen to these reports you will need the free Quicktime Player available from this link.

Report #1
Aging Workforce
Broadcast Date November 14, 2005
In 1946 a baby boom began that lasted nearly 20 years. The boom would eventually add 78 million people to the nation's population. Those baby boomers are now neaing the age of retierment, which could have a major impact on the nationa's economy. In the first of six reports Mark Nootbaar takes a look at the aging of southwestern Pennsylvania's workforce. LISTEN


Report #2
Recruit, Retain, Retrain
Broadcast Date: November 21, 2005
A Bureau of Labor study found that a quarter of the people working today will reach retirement in 7 years. Companies are meeting the challenge of an aging workforce and competition for skilled workers by developing strategies to recruit, retain and retrain. As part of our initiative, "The Future of our Region: Workforce Development," DUQ's Alexandria Chaklos looks at two local companies: one seeing rapid growth in the demand for its medical products because of the health concerns of an aging population and the second working to enhance the image of manufacturing to meet the demand of highly skilled jobs. LISTEN


Report #3
"International Impact on Local Workforce"
Broadcast Date: November 28, 2005
Although Pittsburgh is near the bottom among major cities in attracting immigrants, the number of foreign-borns coming here is on the rise. Tens of thousands of jobs in the area will open over the next several years due to retirement and growth. DUQ's Kevin Gavin reports some employers are looking to immigrants to fill some of those positions. LISTEN


Report #4
"Prognosis for Healthcare"
Broadcast Date: December 5, 2005
Like much of the country, the Pittsburgh region is experiencing healthcare workforce shortages in virtually every occupation: physicians, nurses, allied health and direct care workers. Demand is expected to grow as Baby Boomers both retire from jobs in healthcare and need more medical care themselves. As part of our series "The Future of our Region: Workforce Development", DUQ's Charlee Song looks at the problem and efforts to meet the challenge. LISTEN

Report #5
Workforce Disconnect
Broadcast Date: December 12, 2005
Every day thousands of manufacturing jobs go unfilled in southwestern Pennsylvania. At the same time there are thousands of people looking for work. As part of our series, "The Future of our Region: Workforce Development" DUQ's Mark Nootbaar look at the disconnect between the jobs and the workers. LISTEN

Report #6
Teaching to the Job
Broadcast date: December 19, 2005
Some employers in the Pittsburgh area say they would like to grow but can’t find enough workers with the right skills. DUQ’s Katherine Fink reports on how several programs are trying to prepare students for the region’s workforce needs: LISTEN

To listen to the reports from 2004 click here.