Dexter B. Wakefield

Employability Skills and Trends in the Outdoor Power and Equipment Industry

The Power, Structural, and Technical Systems (PST) Career Pathway is one of eight within the Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Career Cluster; this pathway provides the curriculum that includes outdoor power equipment content. The perceived workforce readiness and skills needed in this pathway and related future trends were analyzed for entrylevel jobs within the outdoor power equipment industry. The respondents expressed concern with being able to find qualified entry-level employees. Respondents indicated that the major skill categories of interpersonal skills, communication skills, computer skills, character skills, technical competency, and their corresponding subskills, were important for entry-level employment. The respondents indicated shop experience and general work experience are important for career success, which are experiences that take place through school-based agricultural education. The areas with greatest impact on the future of the industry were equipment technology advancements, urbanization, environmental laws/policies, and the growth of technical education at the secondary and post-secondary level. Secondary agricultural educators and outdoor power equipment dealers should explore developing internships and other partnerships in order to better prepare students for entry-level positions within the outdoor power equipment industry.