Sometimes the ‘Makers’ Act Like ‘Takers’
4th December 2013
Listen to any group of business leaders for more than a minute and you’ll get an earful about the crisis in “workforce development.” America’s economic performance, says the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, depends on “a workforce that possesses the skills and knowledge that employers need.” Millions of people are looking for work, and millions of jobs are open for hire, but the former can’t fill the latter “because of gaps in skills and training.” There simply are not enough students “emerging from our public education system” with the necessary know-how.
That is why the U.S. Chamber of Commerce wants the federal government to streamline its “national employment and training system.” Why it wants a public-education system that will “supply American businesses with the talent necessary to compete globally.” It is why, according to a recent news story, the Virginia Chamber “wants the state (to) put more emphasis in public schools on preparing students for skills needed in science, technology and health care careers.”
They’d much rather import them from India and Pakistan, where salary expectations aren’t so high and a green card is worth a cut in pay.