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juliaoceania -> RE: Factory Jobs Return, but Employers Find Skills Shortage (7/3/2010 9:38:07 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Musicmystery
In my consulting days, I once designed a program for four area manufacturers participating in a funded pilot to train unskilled welfare folks to these factory jobs--circuit board soldering, some computer work, stuff like that.
A HUGE part of the program, though, was basic job search and life management skills. The employers complained that when the people they hired weren't sure what to do---they just left. Literally left, never to be seen again, not even to pick up a check. We're talking simple coping skills here against a lifetime of defeatism and uncertainty.
While it's simple enough, though, it's not the kind of thing corporations are at all prepared to deal with or train for. And not just this bottom sector--ask anyone who works with traditional and adult students at a community college--a large part of this education is learning self-confidence, how to learn, persistence, completion of tasks, time management, asking for help when needed, recognizing when that need arises---all this along with actually mastering program content.
Again, not something a corporation is prepared to deal with. It's among the reasons they look for college graduates.
I grew up in a small town with lots of people who lacked a college education. These people held low paying jobs, obtaining a job was hard and it was competitive. Employers were demanding, and they could afford to be. The reason they could be picky is that these high school educated people were skilled enough to the point if you were not willing to jump through hoops, they could easily replace you.
Now I have been to community college, and it is as you say, many people lack confidence, etc. I have also been in the real working world, and these people after a few years in the workforce didn't lack confidence at all, and had a great deal of coping skills. I think the issue here is pay scale. As was mentioned earlier, you can import cheaper workers who will have worked in factories before, be regimented to that sort of life, which Americans usually are not. I have done assembly line work. It fucking sucked the life out of me. Anyone that can add two plus two would either be very zen in their ability to do that job, or totally bored out of their mind, or desperate to make money.It is low paying and tedius.
My hunch is they don't wanna pay for the "skills".... And even literate Americans have ADD these days which would impede their ability to do this work for a pittance...
Now I don't know for sure, I am guessing, but I would not be surprised if they in fact wanted to import workers so they don't have to pay them very much and put up with people who do not want to do tedius soul sucking job
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