Give Employers What They Want: Work Ethic Presentation

Owensboro Community & Technical College hosted nationally renowned speaker Josh Davies, on Friday, March 17, in the Humanities Building on the main campus. Davies presented "Give Employers What They Want: Work Ethic". "This is just one way we can give back to the community, to share a speaker of this caliber will help our students, faculty and staff, but can also have ramifications for the broader community" added OCTC President, Dr. Scott Williams. "A real focus of our efforts are soft skills, and professional behaviors in the workplace, and Davies is an expert in this field."

According to the Center for Work Ethic Development, "Employers are hiring talent based on soft skills like attitude and ambition, 9 out of 10 say the most important factor in hiring is work ethic. The challenge is that less than 1 in 5 candidates have these skills. While these foundational behaviors are the top traits that hiring managers are looking for in candidates, almost all job training is focused on academic and technical skills. New research shows that these behaviors can be learned, and make a huge difference in employability and retention.

Work ethic behaviors are the key to workplace performance, and The Center for Work Ethic Development is the nation's only institution focusing on the research and advancement of them. Through interviews with over 1,500 employers, we have developed the strategies to build these behaviors in people from 16 to 60. Discover the secrets that The Center for Work Ethic Development is using to help educators, workforce development centers, and private companies build the seven behaviors of work ethic.

This engaging and interactive presentation showcases simple training and leadership approaches that yield lasting results. Discover cutting-edge tactics for building the foundational behaviors of work ethic, and give employers what they really want!"

By the end of the session, participants were be able to:
Understand the concepts of work ethic
See the impact of the work ethic gap in America
Apply at least three tactics to improve work ethic

Davies is currently the CEO of the Center for Work Ethic Development. He is a published author and is frequently cited in national publications, including the New York Times. He chairs the Colorado Education and Training Steering Committee. Training Magazine recently named him as one of the top 10 trainers under 40 in America. To learn more about Mr. Davies please visit: https://workethic.org/team/