Good news in worker-training for the people of the state of Ohio. $31 million and dozens of staff were ordered by Governor Ted Strickland to make a shift in departmental oversight. Essentially, the department shift equals a focus shift: from human services, to human development.
Ohio has enjoyed quite a bit of media attention during this presidential election cycle---it is well known as a battleground state that some believe was heavily impacted by a certain contentious trade agreement. I tend to agree with this sentiment. But regardless of how you feel about free trade's effects on the US workforce, with this news, it's clear that there is a perception shift at play. I think most people do shy from that which looks like a "hand-out" in favor of the prospect of "a hand up," as the idiom goes. In this case, it is the employers' perceptions taken into account, and acted upon by the state.
So I wonder: as the presidential candidates continue to make the economy key to their stump speeches, will workforce training and development's role take on increasing importance? Will they go farther than that and discuss explicit plans for bringing government, educators, and trainers together to make strides? We're already seeing something along these lines with the push for expanding "green collar jobs" so I don't think it's far fetched. Time of course will reveal.
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