The following message is by Peter Pecor Executive Director of RochesterWorks. He points out how important it is for organizations to identify what skills they will need when the economy bounces back and spend this time training the workforce to be positioned for long term success. We have bolded the points that will be referred to at the end of this post.
Slow times are ideal for training workforce for future successToday’s economy is a very trying time for most
job seekers. During a time like this there is an abundance of talent available for fewer careers and jobs opportunities. We know that there currently is one job available for every five job seekers. We experienced not long ago a strong bargaining position for workers when we had a tight labor market. This trend is now reversed and not only are companies downsizing and laying off, but they are also cutting back on fringes, perks and benefits. There are many industries where jobs have been lost and may never come back even as the economy recovers. This presents an interesting challenge for our current and future workforce.
There are fields where opportunities are emerging like healthcare, the environment, education, government and advanced manufacturing. In reviewing an individual’s talents, experience and career potential, this is an opportune time to make a decision to obtain training targeted in industry sectors that will have the most promise when the economy improves. This is also a time to assess whether or not the training will be of a longer duration, leading to a complete new set of workforce skills or if a shorter term skills development plan will yield more immediate results. In any case,
targeted education will lead to positive results relative to career opportunities. We must keep in mind that in economic
turn downs and recoveries, the last part of the economy to recover is employment. The public affected must understand that they will be engaged in their search and need our services for a longer period of time.
Time would be well spent improving marketable and transferable skills through a well defined and executed training plan.As far as business is concerned and employers, this is a time with an opportunity to obtain and commit to a workforce that is well educated, well trained and has the tools and talents they need now or in the near future. The ability to settle for the best available talent is now since we know that the pool of workers, although strong and large today, will shrink as the entire workforce adjusts to the anticipated shortages predicted when the baby boomers actually retire.
In summary,
we need to collectively look at this period as one that will position our employees, employers and overall economy for a bright future with increased activity guided by a talented, well educated and well trained workforce. -Peter PecorThis is an ideal time to invest your time and energy in training your existing workforce. We administer training grants like Wired that offer up to $25,000 to
reimburse your organization for training your employees:
http://www.fingerlakeswired.com/grants.aspx
