Wednesday, October 22, 2008
ECIDC Meeting
Today we are at the Allerton Manor for a two day retreat with Ed Morrison. We have discussed our grandfathers economy and our grandchildrens economy. We are now going to look at networks and connections. The morning went well and many partners are here. Building trust is the key to set the ground rules. I will add more later.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Our Failing Economy
With less than a month before the elections, we have failed to hear of any specific plans either candidate will carry out for the improvement of the American workforce, the core foundation of our economy. With the ten year anniversary of the Workforce Investment Act, we have yet to have a congress capable of focusing on, what most business people understand, the labor pool of this country.
From a workforce perspective, we have watched as year after year there has been a decline in the competency to perform work and increase in the lack of workplace ethics in our emerging workforce (youth). We literally have a generation of low skilled workers when the trend in industry has been for higher skilled workers. Shortages exist throughout America in some key jobs, while our education institutions continue to crank out millions of degrees in areas where there is no significant demand.
When the workforce system was set up, it was hoped that there would be cooperation and collaboration with higher education to really address these misalignments and to create change that would funnel young people into education and training for high demand jobs. In some places throughout the country, this has happened. But most of the time bureaucratic walls prevent true collaboration, and, frankly, how to be collaborative and a good partner suffer because the educational paradigm is still based on competition and rank. This runs counter to the culture we are attempting to create in the sustainable business world.
The excesses and lopsided Wall Street power has corrupted many folks into thinking there is no end. A structures in this world are impermanent. Nothing lasts forever. Life continues in a cycle. All these statements should lead one to understand that there are limits to the system. And now, America and the world have hit the limit to the financial system.
Barack Obama seems to be headed for the White House, and that should be good for America. However, there is no specific plan for workforce in his platform. It just has generalities, which is not enough information for those of us in this system to gain insight into what he plans to do.
It is clear that the country needs a workforce plan, and energy plan, and a new financial structure as we move into 2009. It is time the future President have a "fireside chat" with the American people so that we can see that he understands the gravity of the system failure, the lives that are being displaced, and the opportunity to retrain workers for the jobs still going unfilled in America. Giving more weeks of unemployment may be of some help, but most of these workers really need additional training at the truck driving school or the community college/university.
It is time for a plan, it is time for reinvestment in our country. It is time to slow the exit of dollars abroad for war and rebuilding, and put those dollars to good use back home.
From a workforce perspective, we have watched as year after year there has been a decline in the competency to perform work and increase in the lack of workplace ethics in our emerging workforce (youth). We literally have a generation of low skilled workers when the trend in industry has been for higher skilled workers. Shortages exist throughout America in some key jobs, while our education institutions continue to crank out millions of degrees in areas where there is no significant demand.
When the workforce system was set up, it was hoped that there would be cooperation and collaboration with higher education to really address these misalignments and to create change that would funnel young people into education and training for high demand jobs. In some places throughout the country, this has happened. But most of the time bureaucratic walls prevent true collaboration, and, frankly, how to be collaborative and a good partner suffer because the educational paradigm is still based on competition and rank. This runs counter to the culture we are attempting to create in the sustainable business world.
The excesses and lopsided Wall Street power has corrupted many folks into thinking there is no end. A structures in this world are impermanent. Nothing lasts forever. Life continues in a cycle. All these statements should lead one to understand that there are limits to the system. And now, America and the world have hit the limit to the financial system.
Barack Obama seems to be headed for the White House, and that should be good for America. However, there is no specific plan for workforce in his platform. It just has generalities, which is not enough information for those of us in this system to gain insight into what he plans to do.
It is clear that the country needs a workforce plan, and energy plan, and a new financial structure as we move into 2009. It is time the future President have a "fireside chat" with the American people so that we can see that he understands the gravity of the system failure, the lives that are being displaced, and the opportunity to retrain workers for the jobs still going unfilled in America. Giving more weeks of unemployment may be of some help, but most of these workers really need additional training at the truck driving school or the community college/university.
It is time for a plan, it is time for reinvestment in our country. It is time to slow the exit of dollars abroad for war and rebuilding, and put those dollars to good use back home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)