The Case For (Real) Jobs Training

By Tony Jones

Some of the regulations most responsible for job-killing are the ones that are placed on adult education. Currently, most of the nation’s colleges do not providing the kind of training that small to mid-size businesses are in need of, and businesses that hire untrained individuals must dedicate a large amount of money, time and resources to provide such training. There is a need for skilled individuals, but they are prevented by state regulations.

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Here is the problem: each state regulates vocational training, so that any group or business wishing to provide this training must follow a largely time-consuming and expensive process, that has no guarantee of success. The licensing requirements are so extreme that no school or program has been licensed to teach the skills needed to assist the owner and/or operator of a small to mid-size business. There are decent-paying jobs waiting for trained people in areas such as: customer service, purchasing, shipping/receiving, communications, marketing, management, etc.

A small-business owner is a lot more likely to hire an employee who can assist in day-to-day operation and add value to the company. Traditional colleges and universities are not set up to train to the full spectrum of skills that are needed in businesses operation. Most business owners would love to hire on a person and delegate tasks such as: creating mailing lists, filing financial records maintaining websites and social media accounts, updating spreadsheets, etc. They would hire, if they could find capable, trained employees. The easing of the regulations on post-secondary vocational training would encourage private enterprise to create small schools and training programs that actually prepare students for the demands of the small to mid-size business. 

Cities and towns everywhere could implement such programs that would provide unemployed and underemployed residents with the skills in need to obtain these in-demand jobs. The business owner could base the assistant’s rate of pay to the amount of time this new employee now saves the operation of the company. For example, if an owner estimates that the assistant saves him or her 10 hours a week, at a business that makes $100 per hour, the assistant would then earn $1,000 a week, and that business owner could use the newly generated free time to engage in sales, promotion, or anything else that would generate new business and  increase earnings. This new business could significantly exceed that cost of taking on an employee, and provide for what that assistant earns.

For more from Tony,  visit: www.TonyJones.org - and tune into The Coalition; Wednesdays at 7 PM, right here on 990WBOB.