All articles tagged with #vocational training
Ford CEO Jim Farley highlighted America's lag behind China and other Asian countries in manufacturing and essential trades, emphasizing the need for increased investment in vocational training, apprenticeships, and policy reforms to restore U.S. competitiveness and societal respect for blue-collar jobs.
The Trump administration is shutting down the Milwaukee Jobs Corps Center, a vocational school serving over 200 students, as part of a nationwide program pause, citing low graduation rates and costs, despite criticism and concerns about the impact on youth, especially those from challenging backgrounds.
The Sierra Nevada Jobs Corps, a vocational training organization in Reno, Nevada, has been shut down by the Trump administration after existing since 1979 and graduating over 500 students annually, with efforts underway to place students elsewhere.
China's booming electric vehicle market is facing a shortage of skilled technicians and engineers as young people in the country shun manufacturing careers. The rapid expansion of electric car factories has outpaced the availability of qualified workers, leading to a shortfall in vocational training. While China has more than twice as many jobs for skilled technicians as qualified workers, many college graduates prefer white-collar jobs in internet companies and the civil service. The labor shortage poses a challenge for the government as it seeks to shift workers to growing sectors like electric vehicle manufacturing. Automation and robotics are being used to address the shortage, but they can only partially meet the demand for factory technicians.
Goldman Sachs analysts suggest that the record unemployment among China's young people is partly due to a mismatch between their majors and available jobs. Graduates from vocational schools studying education and sports rose by 20% in 2021 compared to 2018, but the education industry's demand for new hires weakened during the same period. Chinese authorities are trying to address youth unemployment by expanding vocational training and the services sector, which accounts for just under half the jobs in China.
San Quentin State Prison, home to the largest death row population in the US, will be transformed into a rehabilitation center for less-dangerous prisoners, with a focus on education, training, and rehabilitation. Inmates serving death sentences will be moved elsewhere in the California penitentiary system. The facility will concentrate on “education, rehabilitation and breaking cycles of crime.” California Governor Gavin Newsom cited Norway’s approach to incarceration as inspiration for the program. Vocational training programs will set people up to land good-paying jobs as plumbers, electricians, or truck drivers after they’re released. Newsom is allocating $20 million to launch the plan.