Who Should Pay for Workers’ Training?
A recent article about the demand for welders in Texas and the Gulf Coast region highlighted a growing partnership between the energy industry and community colleges. As the economy still struggles, and a so-called skills gap persists, who should pay for workers’ training?
* demand for ~ = ~에 대한 요구(사항)/ welder = 용접공(기사)/ highlight = 강조하다/ persist = 지속(계속)되다
경제는 어렵고, 기술 차이가 지속되는 요즘, 작업자 훈련 비용은 누가 지불해야 하나요?
1. Credentials, Not Diplomas, Are What Count
Noncredit courses and training, with financial support from government and industry, can create ready-to-work job applicants.
2. Industry and Government Need to Help Workers More
Employers should reinstitute training programs. And government should bring down the cost of post-secondary education.
3. A Shared Responsibility
The area for the greatest potential for infusing dollars to help support students pursuing certificate and degrees are companies.
4. Private and Public Investment Is Needed
Better data is important to ensure that resources are strategically spent on training programs that align with employers' needs.
Sample Essay
Credentials, Not Diplomas, Are What Count for Many Job Openings
In less than a decade, Virginia will need skilled workers for nearly 1.5 million jobs. Fifty to 65 percent of them will be as “middle skills” technicians, with good wages and career progression that require certifications, licenses, apprenticeships or community college certificates.
To supply the needs of advanced manufacturing, and the energy, information technology, cybersecurity and health care industries, Gov. Terry McAuliffe wants to see 50,000 more of those credentials in the short term and nearly half a million by 2030.
Traditional financial aid does not support tuition for certifications or other noncredit credentials. So Virginia is using millions of federal dollars for training, state financial aid for tuition at community college certification programs, incentives to regions that achieve credentialing benchmarks, and grants for regional work force training with matching funds from businesses.
Private industry has also been supporting training for credentials. For instance, shipbuilding and ship repair industries, including Virginia’s largest private employer, Newport News Shipbuilding, have created the Marine Skilled Trades Training Program with five community colleges.
The program has provided instruction for more than 360 job seekers, with a 93 percent hiring rate at annual wages of over $32,000, plus benefits, for ready-to-work marine electricians, machinists, painters and welders. The program involves two to three weeks of full-time training in a simulated work environment. To ensure commitment, the program charges students $250 in tuition, but remaining costs are shouldered by community colleges and companies.
Producing skilled workers for the new Virginia economy is a team sport that will require commitment and cost sharing by the private sector, government, community colleges and job seekers.
