Most Job Training Programs Don’t Work. Here’s How To Do Better.
Americans can’t find jobs, and employers can’t find candidates. Here’s the missing link.
Everybody wants a job. And not just any job, but a job that provides stable income and fulfilling work. But there is a shadow looming over the youngest members of our workforce both here in the U.S. and globally. Getting a good job requires information to guide the search, the skills to do the work and the network to find it — and they often find themselves disconnected from all of those things.
Last week was dubbed “workforce week” by President Donald Trump’s administration. More than 73 million young people worldwide are unemployed, and three times as many are underemployed. Yet at the same time, 40 percent of employers say they can’t find candidates with the skills they need for even entry-level roles.
The problem isn’t a lack of programs or even resources. There are many programs out there seeking to bridge this gap and money from all sectors being allocated to this challenge. In the U.S. alone, spending on programs for those not attending four-year colleges (including government job initiatives, certification programs, community college and on-the-job training) is more than $300 billion per year.
So why does this disconnect between skills and jobs persist?