Thursday, February 4, 2016

The Panda Bear on Vocational Training and College Education

The Panda Bear Blog is the blog of humble but kindly office worker who wants to reform the world.

As the readers of the Panda Bear Blog know, after a steady work history for twenty years, the Panda Bear lost two office jobs in two years.   She has recently been approved by Massachusetts Department o Unemployment to attend an advance office skills program which includes an internship.

The Panda Bear thinks that job training programs are very much needed nowadays even for people with job skills.   Organizations now want people to be up and fully functioning after the first week the employee starts.   Companies are now running very thin staffed so employees don't have time to train people.  With rising concerns about job security, many workers think that a form of job security is that no one else but you can do your job so they don't want to help other workers.     In additions, it costs money for companies to train people and nowadays employees don't stay long with companies.   When companies train people, they are taking a risk that employee may not be able to do the job.

However, the Panda Bear also thinks companies are being lazy in not training people.    Every company has a unique structure and culture which new employees need to learn.    Probably many employees simply don't know what they are doing and are afraid to ask.    In times of high unemployment jobs go unfilled because workers need a shorter training program.  (Also it is a source of job dissatisfaction for those that are working that the companies don't provide them with training and growth opportunities).

The Panda Bear in Massachusetts is seeing more joint industry and state educational ventures to give people job training that leads to jobs.   For example the Panda Bear is seeing industry-state bank teller training programs; banks used to to training in house but now they want experienced tellers.

The Panda Bear thinks that in the modern environment training is actually more important that "higher education".   Counselors at the Mass Unemployment Office(and from what the Panda Bear agrees from has seen) say that even if people with get college degrees the jobs are there for people with with very narrow skills.

The Panda Bear also thinks that companies not being willing to train people is leading to abuse of the practice of bringing on foreign workers on Visas.   There is no attempt to train Americans even if it is a very minimal training requirement.





2 comments:

  1. As far as on the job training goes, companies are being not only lazy, but cheap.

    Bill Belichick says the more things you can do, the more valuable you are. That is very true.

    I believe The best course of action is to do whatever you can to "get your foot in the door" at a company and use that opportunity to take on additional responsibilities so that you make yourself more valuable to the employer.

    Good luck in your training program, PB, and please keep us informed of the results!

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