Specific or General Skills?

Interesting article in the NYT about factory jobs and skilled workers.

In Cleveland, more and more manufacturing jobs are opening. Despite a large pool of unemployed people, employers are having trouble filling these positions. Most cite a lack of candidates that have the skills necessary for the job. The article highlights an issue that we seek to address in our social enterprise programs.

It's obvious that skilled individuals are more desirable to employers. While it's difficult to train for one specific job, our programs help people learn a broad set of both hard and soft skills that employers will always value, regardless of the job title.

Specialized industry knowledge, particularly in new and emerging fields, is difficult to train people for. I think the article shows it's not that candidates must know how to run a CNC machine, but rather can demonstrate they have the mindset and aptitude to learn how. You might learn to drive in a Honda Civic, but that doesn't mean you can't drive a Ford; the general knowledge of driving is what you take with you. I think the same holds true for employability.

Our aim is for our graduates to emerge with skills, confidence, and attitude needed for any number of positions.