BRIAN RUTTER
State College
The article in The Express on April 24 entitled, "One in two new graduates are jobless or underemployed," makes some good points that need expansion.
In the article, an official with the State Workforce Investment Board is quoted as saying, "We need to get the workforce to match the needs of business and industry." In fact, we do not only have a jobless problem, but also a job-skill mismatch crisis. We need trained, qualified workers, not just anyone willing to work.
One solution is the newly-proposed "Targeted Industry Cluster Certificate Program." It will provide funding for less than two years of training in energy, manufacturing and agriculture, all high-demand fields with worker shortages.
People need to go back to schools that provide one- and two-year technical and career education to secure the skills that are in high demand by companies. Institutions such as South Hills School of Business and Technology hold respectable job placement rates (currently 81 percent) because they offer the realistic level of training required by our local businesses. We should encourage people to train for real jobs in our region. It's a logical solution to our workforce problems.
