love love love!!!

So many companies are looking for potential employees that supposedly do not exist. I can tell you as a vocational educator/expert the skills gap is a myth. Just because hiring companies set bench marks that are unrealistic does not translate to a lack of GOOD workers. As a Veteran of the USN, many of the jobs that were performed by service members did not translate to civilian application. Opportunity # 1. A very good friend of mine completed four years as an Aviation Ordinance specialist or bomb maker while enlisted. As he was nearing his service completion he started to wonder what he was going to be when he was released from service. He took advantage of all PACE courses and training, but the most he got was a letter of accommodation. Not one certification was given to him as a way to help him obtain employment after completion. The transitional class offered, was a 4 day class and was assigned 3 weeks before release. Opportunity # 2. As a Vocational Director for the Department of Corrections (DOC), I was in awe of how many inmates entered the system without a high school diploma/GED. After obtaining the GED with DOC inmates had the opportunity to partake in technical education to obtain real world civilian certifications. What was lacking was the job experience received, such as we spoke about in opportunity # 1. Transitional programs for inmates were given a full 12 months prior to release and was intensive to promote the inmates contribution to society and discourage return. Both opportunities FAIL in my opinion one has real world training and not certifications coupled by a lack of transition assistance and the other has real world certifications, ZERO real world experience with FELON stigma. So, my question to you the readers is how can we say there is a lack of personnel for positions corresponding to experience but we do not have the policy in place to set these hard working citizens up for success? Opportunity #1 suffers from PTSD lack of certifications, transition and skyrocketing suicide rates and opportunity # 2 suffers from the FELON stigma, ZERO real world training and a reoffend rate of approx. %77. We have a problem and we need companies and CEO's to step up and drop the benchmark for employee requirements, INVEST in training to get these hard working citizens to work and we will sustain a happy growing workforce that wants to work HARDER and SMARTER!!! There is a skill out there for everyone. In order to fill this so called ‘Skills Gap”, I think we all need to invest in our employees and train them to the standards we all want and desire. Merely posting a job description online is not a good way of finding the right employee. Often times we sacrifice personality over experience. When we sacrifice that way, we are rolling the dice on a personality that may not work or fit.