SKILL DEFICIENCIES - PROBLEMS, POLICIES, AND PROSPECTS

What evidence points to a shortage of skills, a condition that keeps t he U.S. economy off its ''optimum '' path ? First, the literacy of job seekers, as surveyed by the Educational Testing Service, is inconsist ent with acceptable alternative growth paths as projected in Workforce 2000. Second, data on specific jobs show skill requirements increasin g. Third, employers are paving more for higher education and workers w ith less education are being paid less. Integrating school and work, b y applying the findings of the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Nec essary Skills (SCANS), is a way to lessen the shortage, an opportunity likely to be favored by the new administration.