Proposal calls for skills test when Nevadans seek unemployment

Proposal calls for skills test when Nevadans seek unemployment

http://www.rgj.com/article/20110304/NEWS11/110304040/-1/TT

I do agree there are some people that would benefit from additional training and/or certifications, but am unsure how this would work in the real world. How would the state determine the training offered to the unemployed?

Don't people put a list of their skills in their resumes? This almost seems like the government would be doing some of the initial HR work for employers.

“Many of the people who are unemployed have tremendous skills that can be offered to the private sector but we need to identify, specifically what those skills are, and try to better match them to the employers who are looking for employees with those particular skill sets.”

If it's to verify certain skill sets, then I'm all for it. There are many who will claim to be able to do my job at my skill level, but in reality they cannot.

knarf wrote:If it's to verify certain skill sets, then I'm all for it. There are many who will claim to be able to do my job at my skill level, but in reality they cannot.

I completely see your point, knarf. Being able to prove your skills is a good thing to bring to the table when applying for a job.

The thing that catches my attention is one, if the employer wants to verify the skills of a potential employee they should be willing to pay for it. That is a cost of doing business. Two, this would not cover applicants that are currently employed. It seems the currently employed have a better chance at landing employment than the long term unemployed. With this, the currently employed would not have to prove any skills and can make any claims they want.

While I agree there are many people who would benefit from additional training, I can see a circumstance where an employer states they need X number of people with these exact skills. The state pays to train them at no cost to the employer. These jobs are then moved to another location and people are left with skills that no one needs or wants.

I guess you could say I have mixed emotions on it. I can see where a lot of good can come out of it, but can also seem some down sides.

This sounds like another attempt to blame workers for their own joblessness.

All that's required (or should be required) to claim UI benefits is the loss (through no fault of your own) of previous employment that paid into the UI system. Obviously UI claimants have some sort of skill - or they wouldn't have been employed in the first place.

Skills assessment and possible re-training to increase liklihood of re-employment could be useful tools for jobless workers, but the burden for hiring people on unemployment is on the private sector employers, is it not?

Re-train, educate, improve worker's skills to your hearts content - if employers won't hire, it makes no difference.