Training Needs and Proficiency of the Substance Misuse Prevention Workforce: A Profile from the Unites States Northeast

Background/Purpose

The prevention science field has accelerated in the past several decades. However, a limited number of studies has focused specifically on the substance misuse prevention workforce, describing the size and composition of the workforce, identifying competencies and training needs, and supporting the need for improved recruitment and retention. While the list of competencies and training needs is robust, it is without clear prioritization. This remains a critical gap in workforce development. The federally-funded Northeast and Caribbean Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) is charged with building the capacity of the substance misuse prevention workforce through prevention science-based and culturally responsive training and technical assistance. The purpose of this study was to assess the workforce training needs of the regionally based prevention workforce in NY and NJ. The first aim was to describe the profile of the NY/NJ substance misuse prevention workforce and the second aim was to examine the unmet training needs based on skills and prevention topics of importance to the work and participants’ current level of proficiency.

Methods

An online, quantitative survey, the Northeast and Caribbean PTTC Workforce Needs Assessment Survey (WNAS), was developed and administered through a listserv of nearly 3,000 substance misuse prevention professionals (12% response rate). The current study used a sample of 332 participants who reported their state/territory as NJ or NY. The WNAS contained several items on participants’ demographics and employment setting. Most of the survey questions focused on a series of training topics and skills related to the prevention field, in which participants were asked to rate the importance of and their perceived proficiency for each. Descriptive statistics were computed using Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS software.

Results

Respondents reported the level of importance to their work and their level of proficiency on a total of 26 substance misuse prevention proficiency items covering seven domains. Proficiency domains with the highest unmet training need included Resource Management (44.2%) and Data Utilization (37.1%). Individual proficiency items with the highest unmet need included applying geographic information systems to analyze data (56.7%), identifying funding mechanisms and engaging assets for sustainability (44.3% and 44.1%, respectively) and performing statistical analysis for use in decision making (42.9%). Results also provided details on the workforce employment settings and focus populations. For example, the majority of respondents worked within NY and the most common settings of participants’ substance misuse prevention work were community-based or advocacy organizations, schools, healthcare or medical setting, and community coalitions. The most common focus populations were identified as the community at large and school aged youth.

Conclusions/Implications

This study identified the unmet skills development needs among a sample of the prevention workforce in terms of the training topic areas and skills. Our findings provide the prevention field a baseline of training needs. The unmet training needs identified should be considered in the process of curriculum development for prevention practitioners’ training and technical assistance. Findings can also inform future workforce development investments, establish a baseline to evaluate future workforce development efforts, and prioritization trainings.