| Years ago people could live a productive life, save for | | | | continuous career growth. Only 6 percent of todays |
| retirement and build a nest egg without a high school | | | | jobs do not require at least completion of high school, |
| diploma or little to none formal education. | | | | which means for a student without the adequate skills, |
| See, when I was a youngster, my mother worked 2 to | | | | he/she will not be eligible to even apply for 94 percent |
| 3 jobs to provide for our family. The challenges of her | | | | of job openings. The U.S. Department of Labor |
| younger life and family prevented her from obtaining | | | | forecasts that by 2012 the U.S. economy will have the |
| her high school diploma because she had to help take | | | | largest workforce in the nation’s history culminating |
| care of her siblings. Yet, in her late thirties and early | | | | to more than 162 million people. However, it will not be |
| forties, my mother studied for the GED, passed the | | | | enough to fill the 2 million job openings projected to be |
| Board and later received technical and occupational | | | | available. In order words, millions of jobs are expected |
| training as a medical transcriptionist and tax-preparer. | | | | to go unfilled because workers lack the specialized |
| Due to economic demands and financial shifts, my | | | | skills required to fill them. Alarming, the U.S. government |
| mother again in her late forties, early fifties received | | | | predictions show a shortage of more than 10 million |
| training as a nurse practitioner. However, today just to | | | | skilled workers by 2012. |
| stay afloat in her industry, she is developing herself to | | | | So, how can we get geared up to handle this |
| receive her RNA license at sixty years of age. See, | | | | pandemic? I believe the greatest strategy is to |
| my mother is a prime example and parody of the | | | | address these challenges from a 360 feedback |
| educational and employment changes facing students | | | | survey strategy. This strategy is used in business to |
| and workers in today’s developing 21st Century | | | | track and evaluate the total quality management |
| Economy and Workforce. | | | | (TQM) of the organization’s performance, |
| Nowadays, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is a | | | | company health and managerial leadership. In order |
| governmental framework that addresses the | | | | words, parents, teachers, administrators, business |
| achievement gap. The achievement gap is the | | | | leaders, professionals, legislators, policy-makers and |
| educational inequalities and the low academic | | | | governmental figures must collectively and |
| performance between students in urban districts and | | | | collaboratively retool and refine students and workers. |
| suburban districts, as well as students with disabilities | | | | We must create support systems, supplemental |
| such as me. The NCLB focusing on standardizing | | | | statewide and schoolwide programs; use flexible, |
| education to insure every child has an accessible and | | | | individualized educational planning strategies; enhance |
| appropriate education to support the notion that the | | | | parental training, awareness and advocacy; work with |
| every child must have the fundamental skills to | | | | career and counseling centers, as well as form |
| succeed. But, in the next years, the American | | | | strategic partnership with youth service organizations; |
| schools’ initiatives are changing. The Government | | | | merge youth/personal and professional development |
| State is investing billions of dollars in the DOL, NIST, | | | | systems in the educational curriculum; implement and |
| DoE SC, DOE, and NSF to provide specialized training | | | | increase community-based vocational training (CBVT), |
| and programs for students and workers who must | | | | job-shadowing, mentorships/apprenticeships, on-the-job |
| develop and refine their skills in Science, Technology, | | | | training (OJT), and realistic job preview (RJP) and job |
| Engineering and Mathematical Sciences to handle the | | | | rotation programs; teach students early about |
| new demands of technology and product innovations, | | | | effective career planning, development and |
| global business, and the emerging marketplace. As a | | | | management, life skills development, professional |
| result of the growing frustrations and needs for | | | | learning and integrative life planning (ILP), and expose |
| technical and informational workers, the high school | | | | students and workers to talent management, |
| diploma is shifting to certify that students are qualified | | | | performance management and succession planning |
| to perform advance ‘applied’ skills, as well as | | | | tools and resources . In fact, observations show many |
| be prepared for successful employment and constant | | | | high-schoolers, college graduates; adults and |
| career growth. Now, here’s the prevailing | | | | professionals lack the critical knowledge of the |
| dilemma. | | | | workings and usefulness of the available resources |
| Employers complain that many college graduates are | | | | and tools to help them be equipped and competitive in |
| not prepared for the marketplace and lack the new | | | | the 21st Century Economy and Workforce. |
| set of skills necessary for successful employment and | | | | |