Among
the many areas of disagreement in the 2012 Presidential debates, there was one
topic on which both Obama and Romney agreed: the unemployed need training for
the jobs of the future.
But
there is evidence that, despite re-training efforts, many dislocated workers
have not succeeded in finding satisfactory jobs in new fields. What’s going
wrong?
Let’s
look at what we know about successful training.
- Know first what training is needed. Get a clear picture of the competencies your organization needs to succeed in the future.
- Assess the current skills of your workforce. Training should be designed to close the gaps.
- Create the environment for real behavior change. In order to have the confidence to apply the new skills on the job, employees need the support of managers, ongoing coaching, and positive reinforcement.
I
wonder which critical step was missing from the government’s attempt to
re-train the nation’s unemployed?
