Ruesink, David C.

Varley, Mac

English

Texas A&amp;M Repository

IL-1095MANPOWER INVENTORIES: USING VOLUNTEERSDavid C. Ruesink and Mac Varley*A manpower inventory is an inventory of cur-rent manpower and skill levels available within agiven geographic area. It consists of summaries ofpotential employees by age, sex, skill, educationallevel, income earning, present employment, occupa-tional aspirations or distance willing to commute.It could also include other information desired bythose conducting the survey.Need for InventoryThe primary need for a manpower inventory isto provide information for attracting industry orindustrial expansion of current operations. A man-power inventory provides a basis for understand-ing the skills of the local work force and theirpotential for new skill training. In addition, stateagencies can use inventory data for program devel-opment such as adult basic education, vocationaltraining or manpower development training. Pub-lic service institutions may use inventory informa-tion for staffing needs or for local economic devel-opment programs.Inventories should be conducted only if (1)information is needed which cannot be fulfilled inany other way and (2) local citizens desire to helpcarry out such a survey.Length of Inventory ValidityFactors determining how long an inventory ISvalid include• migration in and out of the area.• new opportunities for employment withinthe labor market area.• closing down an operation utilizing largeamounts of labor.• changing the agricultural production situa-tion.*Extension sociologist, Texas A&M University, and program co-ordinator for Texas Concerted Services, Red River County.32.1If conditions remain static, a well-conductedbasic inventory may be relatively accurate in ruralcounties for I to 3 years. If a determining factorinfluences much change on the labor force, how-ever, an inventory may be dated within a fewmonths.Area to Consider for InventoryLabor supply areas often cross county lines andencompass parts or all of more than one county.Potential labor supply areas usually include at least30 minutes commuting time and sometimes in-clude areas up to 60 minutes away. The mainpoint is that an inventory should usually be at leastcountywide even in major metropolitan areas.Generating Local SupportInvolve important key individuals within or-ganized groups such as chambers of commerce,county program building committees, industrialfoundations, city councils and commissioners courts.Each local situation will be slightly different de-pending on the community structure. Other or-ganizations such as the ministerial alliance, schoolsystems, women's professional organizations, civicorganizations, agricultural organizations, organ-ized labor and county action agencies occasionallyshould be included.Inventory InitiationInventory initiation may come from any source.Someone must take the lead and promote the idea.The leader could be an elected official, a chamberof commerce member, a government employee orany other interested citizen. The leader could alsobe a prospect seeking unavailable information.Inventory CoordinationInventory coordination may be handled by thechamber of commerce manager, any professionalagricultural worker, the county rural developmentcommittee, community action agency director, a lo-cal Texas Employment Commission representativegr c Itur lEt . n S c • •or any other interested person with applied re-search experience. Someone must be in charge whowill be responsible. The following outline may beused as a guide for a person in charge.Steps for Making Manpower InventoriesI. Involve volunteers who can promote the inventory inthe following ways.A. Represent an advisory committee from differentspecial interest groups.I. Obtain volunteer interviewers.2. Promote survey registration.B. Inform citizenry throug-h phone contact or meet-ings with organized groups.C. Appeal to friends and neighbors through radiospots by identifying themselves and encouragingparticipation.D. Contact local merchants about contributing mer-chandise for periodic free door prizes.E. "Vork at designated interviewing locations, callingon people at home or meeting with groups.F. A si t with checking inventory completeness.II. Inform citizenry of inventory importance through vari-ous methods.A. Report progress of the inventory through localnews media.B. Spread news of the inventory through church bul-letins, pulpits or newsletters.C. Reach students and parents through school systemletters and questionnaires.D. Maintain personal contact with local organizations.E. Distribute flyers at business concerns.F. Place posters in business windows.G. Conduct a telephone campaign.H. Make u e of inserts in utility bill mailings.I. Inform Community Action Agency Out-Reachworker.III. Conduct the actual inventory by one of the followingprocedures.A. Choose a desirable interview location.1. Set up interviews at strategic locations.2. Put a person in charge to assist the interviewerwith filling out questionnaires.3. Locate inventories near public facilities or priv-ate settings which are basically places of highpedestrian traffic (city hall, fire station, cham-ber of commerce, stores, schools, etc.).B. Involve organized groups such as church groups,home demonstration clubs, civic clubs and schoolclasses in group registration.C. Mail out questionnaires to be mailed or deliveredin person to a central location.D. tilize door-to-door canvassing.1. Obtain a complete census of the area.2. Conduct a scientific sampling of area house-holds.E. Except for the scientific sampling technique, oneor more alternatives can be utilized together.VolunteersTexas Employment Commission labor marketanalysts are able to provide group training sessionsfor volunteers who administer questionnaires. Be-cause their availability is limited on a simplesupply and demand basis, plan the sessions withthe Texas Employment Commission before theinventory.In supervising volunteers, set up -a program ofwork and specify who is in charge of each specificgeographic area. Provide back-up support by pro-viding adequate supplies, answering questions andchecking responses. If responses are weak, see whatadditional help is needed. If responses are ade-quate, provide encouragement.The key is to organize and involve a largenumber of volunteers. A minimum of 50 peopleprobably should be enlisted. Some situations mayrequire several hundred volunteers over a periodof a few days.Time AllocationDepending on the number of volunteers, com-plete the job within 2 weeks if possible. Allowinganother 2 weeks for cleanup may be necessary.Enthusiasm will decline if the job takes too long.Designing QuestionnairesSample questionnaires and assistance for designcan be obtained from the state office of the TexasEmployment Commission, the Texas IndustrialCommission, the Texas Agricultural ExtensionService or the Texas Concerted Services. Withdata processing capabilities, questionnaires shouldhave provisions for easy coding and key punchingcapabilities.Other AssistanceQuestionnaire design, technical advice, printingand data tabulation can be done by the TexasEmployment Commission manpower data analysisand research department. A district labor analystis available to provide training programs for vol-unteer interviewers.It is cheaper and better to use volunteers thanto hire a firm for inventories because participationand involvement generate more local interest, espe-cially where key community leaders cooperate inobtaining data.Educational programs conducted by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service serve people of all ages regardless of socio-economiclevels, race, color, sex, religion or national origin.Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, Texas A&M University and the United States Dcpalt1nentof Agriculture cooperating. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8, 1914, as amended, and June 30, 1914.5M-I-73 RD 2

Manpower Inventories:  Using Volunteers.

https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/bitstream/1969.1/165413/2/1095/Leaf1095.pdf

Manpower Inventories: Using Volunteers.

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Texas A&M Repository