Employment training programs discussed
Claudia Malone, of the Washington State Society for Human Resource Management, speaks about workforce readiness to a group at Big Bend Community College.
MOSES LAKE — Members of the Adams Grant Human Resource Association recently learned about state programs to help businesses with employee training.
One program is called a job skills program, which is a grant program requiring a match made by the business, according to Carol Melby, a program administrator with the state Board for Community and Technical Colleges.
The second program is a customized training program, which provides a business and occupation tax credit equal to 50 percent of the cost of training, she said.
The talk was held to address the issue of workforce readiness and the lack of skilled workers in some areas.
Claudia Malone, workforce readiness director with the state Society for Human Resource Management Council, shared high school drop-out statistics to show their point.
The nationwide dropout rate is 30 percent, while the state percentage is 33 percent. Dropout rates for Hispanics are 53 percent and for blacks, 47 percent.
Annually, 1.2 million students drop out of school annually, comprising half of the population on welfare or in prison, she said.
Malone referred to the high rates as “the dropout to prison pipeline” because youth don’t have the skills to get a job. Instead, some become involved with gangs.
One problem is that some schools don’t follow up and call parents if their kids are absent from class.
As a result, the U.S. is falling behind internationally.
“We are losing ground for a number of reasons,” she said.
It’s now an employer’s market. Malone is seeing human resource assistant jobs requiring a college degree when they didn’t before. Competition is such that employers can require the degree because they can get it.
She also said half of Washington’s 10th-graders don’t meet math and science standards.
Another factor is Baby Boomers remaining in the work force longer because they lost retirement money in the stock market. But some Gen-Xers see Baby Boomers in the way of their career advancement.
Employers need to find ways to keep both groups happy.
Melby talked about various programs addressing the issue by the Association of Washington Business, National Chamber of Commerce, Promise Neighborhoods, community colleges and school systems.
WorkSource is a “one-stop shop” for employers and job-seekers, she said.
The state is very much involved with the development of a work force.
An idea that may develop in the future is called lifelong learning accounts, or LILA, in which workers would set aside money from their paychecks for continuing education. The account would be matched by the employer and/or state.
Their goal is to roll LILA out statewide in the future. Once the economy recovers, the public may hear more about LILA.
The needs for a college educated workforce keeps increasing.
In order for the United States to stay on top of the heap globally, the education level for workers must be raised.
For more information, visit www.workforcecollege.com.
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