18 August 2009

Creating a 21st-century workforce

Here's something to think about. Louis Soares, the director of the Economic Mobility program at the Center for American Progress, made this point about a new approach to training workers in a 21st century economy. He spoke recently at a workforce event in Washington, D.C.:
"(Soares) argued that in today’s dynamic labor market workforce policy should focus not only on emergency unemployment counseling but also on making career coaching and skills training available to all workers. This requires reforming and integrating the education and workforce development systems by retooling the employment service as a 'one-stop' career center, making financial aid available for working learners, and investing in and improving community colleges."

YorkCounts has tried to encourage more connections among local workforce development stakeholders. What should York County be doing with its investments in worker training that will help Pennsylvania and the United States produce the best-trained workforce in the world?

- Dan Fink

1 comment:

Deron S. said...

I think there is a portion of the workforce that is too specialized, and can therefore not bounce back quickly after a layoff because the skill set is too limited.

It would probably be in our best interest to promote programs that emphasize a more broad approach to training and learning. Those that go to college spend a lot of their time in courses that have seemingly no relevance to their career choice. Those courses have more value than most realize, because they expand the thinking and develop skills that come in handy on a daily basis. I would like to think that the same concept could be applied in the workforce training realm, at least to some degree.