What's stopping us from performing more customized job training programs

On September 21, 2009, MSNBC’s website published a rather unflattering article about the public workforce development system funded under WIA.
 
The article entitled Retraining Roulette: New Skills, No New Job stated that these programs “raise fundamental questions about the value of retraining, even as it has quietly emerged as a linchpin in the federal government’s recession-fighting strategy. Chief among them: Do retooled workers fare better in their searches or land better jobs than those who spend their time hitting the bricks and knocking on doors?”
 
Is it really necessary to repeat the obvious about communicating our successes to the legislators on Capital Hill so they see the ROI? The answer is apparently yes, since very few success stories ever get published.
 
Here’s some additional guidance on that subject of Success Stories: according to the Coalition for Workforce Solutions (CWS), based on the members of the House and Senate Authorizing Committees, success stories from the following states would be of particular value: Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. If you are in one of these states, it is absolutely essential that your congressional leaders hear from you. CWS is collecting success stories. Contact Tim Ford, Executive Director, at tford@lrginc.com. 
 
But we also have a performance measurement problem because it’s clear that, in the end, we will be measured by our job placement success. I don’t believe any of you would want to stand up before Congress and tell them $4 billion was spent this year to provide job search and career counseling services to millions of people and not provide job placement metrics too.
 
So, that takes us right back to what I’ve always argued for as a WIB priority: employer-based customized job training.
 
We simply have to hire and train our staff, or find service providers that can do it, and develop programs that meet the hiring qualifications of employers in our community. I’ve always argued that our real client is the employer, although many in our industry find that inconsistent with their ideologies.
 
In summary, we need to provide services to employers that compete with the private sector recruiting and staffing industry. The good news is that unlike the private sector that charges fees for recruiting and placing qualified candidates, our services are free, giving us a definite competitive advantage.

Richard Katz
rkatz@hrms.net
Publisher, NetAssets

Comments

There have been no comments made on this article. Why not be the first and add your own comment using the form below?

Leave a comment

Commenting is restricted to registered users only. Please register or login now to submit a comment.