Career Education and Instruction = Jobs and Less Unemployment

There is an urgent need for the public education machine in the United States to come up to speed with the economic realities of today's job market. With the economy in the state it has been in over the past few years, jobs have become fewer and the variety of available jobs has narrowed.

Businesses are learning how to manage with fewer employees and this trend doesn't look like it is going to change in the foreseeable future. It is important that the educational system begin to acquaint themselves with these realities and to set education and instruction goals that will ensure students are prepared for the "new" world of work.

A recent article , written by an individual who operates a staffing company, identifies education related issues staffers deal with on a daily basis when trying to place people into available jobs. Many of these education related issues are not being forthrightly addressed in the education systems of this county.

1. In many cases, young people have not received education and instruction on effective methods for finding a job.

2. There seems to be a mindset of "entitlement". Youth act like they expect to be handed a job without having the needed skills. It is important for the education system to provide instruction to youth on the difference between entitlement and personal responsibility.

3. Employment statistics indicate there are 39,000 American's who do not have a high school diploma. It is not uncommon for 20 to 30% of people who are unemployed to not hold a diploma or a GED.

4. Many youth, who are unemployed, who cannot find jobs now, did not have instruction in the education system about how to develop a professional network before unemployment.

5. It is not uncommon for youth, who are looking for a job, to be unable to follow the simple directions stipulating how to fill out a job application form accurately and completely. The education system has failed students when they have not had instruction on filling out forms.

6. It is common for youth, who go into a recruitment or unemployment agency to get help finding a job, to cop an attitude of negativity, disinterest and boredom. Education and instruction on professional demeanor is something that students need to understand.

Given this information, what can education and instruction programs do to prepare students, who do not intend to go to college, to prepare to be productive citizens after graduation, and in many cases without a diploma or GED? The answer is plenty.

1. The education system should begin to hit career planning hard and earlier in the education program. Starting career education instruction as early as 8^th grade is a good idea.

2. The education system should include instruction in teaching basic financial skills such as: how to open a bank account, how to manage a checking account, how to apply for loans, what is credit management and how can it affect you for the rest of your life.

3. The education system should include education opportunities to practice how to interview and what are basic interviewing skills. Knowing what to expect in an interview process helps prepare students to be successful when they go into an interview.

4. The education system should add a requirement for public speaking. Public speaking skills pay off in interview situations.

5. The education system should expand career education programs to include the professions that have job openings such as: commercial truck driving, being a teacher, the military and all of the skilled trades.

As the education system moves forward and adjusts to the economic realities of the coming decades, more emphasis must be placed on preparing students to go from high school directly into the workforce without passing through college. Education must make the shift to this reality.

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