The Stimulus Plan: Training Dollars Well Spent?

A survey conducted earlier this year in the UK found that 88 percent of employers find training important, to enhance skills as well as boost morale and loyalty. And, 78 percent of British workers list training as a key job benefit.

Question: Who should pay for said training? In the UK there’s a groundswell of support to increase the level of government-funded training. And, just this past Sunday (July 18), The New York Times published an article titled, The Stimulus Plan: How to Spend $787 billion, which details where all the money has gone. Included is nearly $100 billion earmarked for some sort of job-training and education benefits.

As a counter, I found this blog post on a UK training website that I thought worth sharing:

“As an employer, I want well-educated people who have the skills to learn, On that basis I would suggest that the government cease all funding for industrial training and redirect the funds to technical and academic education. You give us bright, motivated people who understand the basics of a subject and we will train them in the skills to do the job. That doesn’t mean they all have to have degrees. We want doers, thinkers and potential leaders—and sometimes all three.”

Makes sense to me.

MetalForming magazine editor Brad Kuvin has covered the metalforming and fabricating industry since 1984. His interviews with engineers and managers at manufacturing sites aim to transfer technology to the magazine's readers and website visitors, helping them improve productivity, quality and safety.