Obama to announce training initiative for high-tech jobs

[cabri]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Monday will announce a program to provide more Americans with the training needed to secure jobs in the high-technology industry, the White House said.

The initiative, which Obama will detail at a National League of Cities conference in Washington, will include "collaboration with local government leaders - working with each other and with national employers - that are committed to expanding access to tech jobs in their communities," the White House statement said on Sunday.

The statement added there were more than 500,000 job openings in such fields as software development and cybersecurity and that the average salary in jobs requiring information technology skills was 50 percent higher than the average private-sector job in the United States.

Link

Will this be a fluff piece or have actual meat?

One thing that can be done is to revamp the H1B program. It is being abused badly; US workers are being deliberately replaced and/or not considered.

When Cal Edison replaces US workers with H1B and the State of California allows a company to bring in H1B (or offshore) to process unemployment claims; there is a serious problem/manipulation.

While there may be 500K openings; the employers have manipulated the requirements that cross-training into the jobs is difficult and the pay is heavily biased on the entry side against experience.

Many of these jobs seem to require one to hit the ground running at a college grad pay level.

 

[Smoblikat]

If you arent smart enough to get the training you require on your own, having it handed to you wont help much.

 

[cabri]

If you arent smart enough to get the training you require on your own, having it handed to you wont help much.

For many places, the training is not readily available (price/location/level)

 

[rudder]

If you arent smart enough to get the training you require on your own, having it handed to you wont help much.

Then once you get the training... you have to compete with a H2B visa holder who will work below median wages.

 

[Genx87]

For many places, the training is not readily available (price/location/level)

Where? Most community colleges have classes that teach these skills.

 

[Hugo Drax]

Fluff piece.

We have plenty of trained people. Companies use that excuse to hire h1b visa indentured servants. Just noise to keep the sheep placated

 

[senseamp]

Then once you get the training... you have to compete with a H2B visa holder who will work below median wages.

Yeah, who wants to compete? Better take yourself out of competition right away by not having the necessary skills. :thumbsup:

 

[senseamp]

Fluff piece.

We have plenty of trained people. Companies use that excuse to hire h1b visa indentured servants. Just noise to keep the sheep placated

True. I am against H1B as long as it's tied to one employer.

 

[nixium]

True. I am against H1B as long as it's tied to one employer.

Excellent point. The H1B (and associated green card process) is not a free market right now. The workers have very little mobility. Thankfully, some of that will change in a few months - a lot more workers rights and competition, biased against those of asian origin (that also happen to form a large segment of the H1 workers.)

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Link

Will this be a fluff piece or have actual meat?

One thing that can be done is to revamp the H1B program. It is being abused badly; US workers are being deliberately replaced and/or not considered.

When Cal Edison replaces US workers with H1B and the State of California allows a company to bring in H1B (or offshore) to process unemployment claims; there is a serious problem/manipulation.

While there may be 500K openings; the employers have manipulated the requirements that cross-training into the jobs is difficult and the pay is heavily biased on the entry side against experience.

Many of these jobs seem to require one to hit the ground running at a college grad pay level.

Good initiative, won't go anywhere.

He is basically SAYING that he is trying to tear down the whole "must have 4 years on your resume" notion. And I hate to say it, but that is dictated by the market. I guarantee this will not change.

I don't mind the idea though. It sounds kind of nice... but it's just pixie dust.