MSNBC: ‘Skills gap’ hurts employers, job seekers
Even with millions of Americans out of work, the industrial giant Siemens is having so much trouble finding qualified workers that, for the first time, it's had to hire recruiters:
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Yahoo Finance: 'The other 4-year degree’: Why everyone’s talking about apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are having a moment.
Youth employment rates are still abysmally low in the U.S. (for 16- to 19-year-olds, the unemployment rate is 17.9%, nearly three times the national rate) and college has never been pricier. Apprenticeships, which some have dubbed “the other four-year degree,” offer a low-cost way for young people to get jobs and an education without incurring loads of debt.
The better-looking, higher-earning sister of the internship, an apprenticeship matches workers up with employers who offer one to four years of job training. The average starting pay for apprentices is $15 an hour, double the federal minimum wage. At the end of a program, workers are rewarded with an industry-recognized certificate and, ideally, a full-time job offer.
Apprentices earn an average starting salary of $50,000 a year and go on to earn $300,000 more over their lifetime than those with just a high school diploma, according to the Department of Labor.
U.S. and Switzerland to partner on apprenticeship program
At a June 25, 2015, press conference in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Dept. of Labor announced a collaboration with Switzerland to launch an apprenticeship program in the U.S. modeled after the Swiss vocational education system. The U.S. and Switzerland are planning to sign on July 9, 2015, a Joint Declaration of Intent to collaborate on this venture and to exchange policy information and best practices in vocational education and training.
In Switzerland, students as young as 15 sign 3- or 4-year contracts with an employer’s apprenticeship program, which pays them as they learn skills, according to Martin Dahinden, Swiss ambassador to the U.S. Two-thirds of 16-year-olds in Switzerland choose to start their careers via an apprenticeship as they attend school.
Read SHRM's full article here!
Holland Sentinel: Apprenticeship programs priority for area businesses
Excerpt from the Holland Sentinel:
In desperate need of skilled labor employees, some Holland area business have turned to apprenticeships – teaching employees the skills necessary to advance and become a certified journeyman.
The labor market in West Michigan has become slim as Ottawa County and surrounding counties are facing unemployment rates below 4 percent. In April, Ottawa County’s unemployment was 3.1 percent.
While those rates are good for the economy, it’s created a problem for area employers that need to fill vacancies.
Read the entire article here!