J.J.R. Ramey

YOUNGSTERS NEED TO LEARN A TRADE

For years, I have watched hundreds of people travel through life with noble goals of becoming specialists in various occupations. Some wanted to become actors, many doctors, others President of the United States. Yet, as life would have it, their educational ceiling ended in high school while those with stick-to-it-ive-ness and oftentimes luck persevered into college.

The fortunate ones became professionals in high paying fields including actors and doctors. However, many who lost their jobs through no apparent fault of their own, failed to secure a living in a once lucrative field turned barren and unable to support their personal and societal needs. I have worked as an actor, broadcaster, and writer, and there were times early in my career if only for a few short weeks that I wished I knew a trade.

Thousands of men and women who were duly employed (despite the economy’s woes) as carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other trade jobs continue to prosper and no economic downturn (recession) ever slowed them down. No matter how lean the economy and job market got, many trade crafted-folk always worked, always had a job. When the electricity went out, whom do we call: an electrician. When a sink stops up, whom do we call: a plumber. Need doors and windows repaired or replaced: call a carpenter. These people have trade experience and they are usually busy folks. they can even repair their own properties, saving hundreds on labor costs. This J.J. tirade brings me to today’s question: shouldn’t young people learn a trade early in life?

Yes! Yes! Of course. Why bring this subject up now? With the unemployment rate in the U.S. in double digits and threatening to go higher, what does a body do when his or her white or blue-collar position ends with financial ramifications. These stunned people seek out the same type of job at other companies, which in turn, are firing employees as they, the hopeful, enthusiastically submit their applications.

Educators, be proactive: ask students what they like to do in their spare time. Some youngsters will undoubtedly say they like working with electricity, computers, and vehicles; others might just like to fiddle with machines and thousands of other things. So, decision making educators, why not consider offering trade education in high schools. Schools could offer a list of courses, teaching trade skills in plumbing, electrical work, the general medical related fields, and other trade professions I haven’t even considered.

School boards and administrators will no doubt say that tooling up to teach these trade courses in high school would turn their budgets on end. However, there might be a solution: hire unemployed trade professionals to teach their respective professions to those youngsters. Why not pay an ‘affordable fee’ to local electricians and plumbers or nurses to teach teenagers to do their jobs.

Firstly, it would give at least some income to unemployed trade specialists. Secondly, the schools would not be forced to pay full-time salaries and benefits to those workers. Pay trade professionals a reasonable fee to teach high school and/​or college students how to do their jobs. Other issues would certainly arise such as parental consent, liability, waivers, etc. Perhaps, school systems could partner with trade schools, some already do.

The great Michael Jordan formerly of the Chicago Bulls remarked when countless critics in North Carolina told him he could never even make a junior high school basketball team, let alone a college or NBA squad because of his non-talent : “It could happen.” And wow, did it happen for Jordan…, then some…, and then much, much more!

There are millions of people on the unemployment lines these days and at least some of them, I’ll bet as a non-betting man, would be willing, to teach a young one how to do their jobs. As teachers, educators, all you have to do is ask them.

Enterprising Americans could bring another aspect to the jobs force. And what is more, these trade professionals would NOT be hired out of India, or China, or Mexico. These trade professionals are home-folks, home grown, home experienced. Let’s give the unemployed trade professional a chance to work today offering valued training to our high school and college students to provide alternatives to becoming an actor, doctor, or U.S. President. It could work. We won’t know for sure until we give it a try. Nothing beats a failure but a try.

J.J.R. Ramey is a radio news anchorman, novelist, and motivational speaker based in New York City and the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Contact him through his website ate www.jjrramey.com.

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THE ELUSIVE AMERICAN JOB

The latest Labor Department jobs report shows the U.S. unemployment rate climbed to 10.2 percent in October. One out of every six workers — 17.5 percent — was unemployed or underemployed.

United States President Barak Obama has announced he would convene a jobs summit at the White House in December, stating, “The economic growth that we’ve seen has not yet led to the job growth that we desperately need.” But what does Mr. Obama mean by “job growth?” Is he referring to the growth of part-time jobs or the growth of full-time jobs?

There are perhaps thousands of available job openings in the employment market but what is the quality of those jobs? Some positions pay $7.50 to $9.50 per hour; many are full-time jobs but most are part-time jobs. The math: If an American earning a livable wage lost a job and takes on a full time 40-hour per week job at $7.50 per hour, their weekly salary would be $290 before taxes. If he or she earned $9.50 an hour, the weekly gross salary comes in at $380.

Now, this American has a full-time job, working the traditional 40-hour week. With a wife or husband, 2-children, and livable and reasonable monthly bills such as a mortgage, food, school, fuel costs (home & basic travel) and health care costs, how well are families to do? Not very well and many of us know it.

The Washington rhetoric sounds great when politicians say, “we have created jobs and there are plenty out there, all a body is to do is to apply, attend an interview, and voila, they are hired. Thousands (millions) of Americans who have suffered through this seemingly hopeless process know the ‘process’ of getting a job is not so easy.

While receiving unemployment compensation, thousands legitimately search for jobs as a fox stalks his way through a hen house. Yet, when applying for jobs, many applicants never receive a reply from the potential employer as to the status of their application. No e-mail, no snail mail, no phone call reply lets the jobless person know the outcome of their request.

Many times, the applicant remains in the dark, never knowing if their required materials are under review or lost in a bureaucratic maze. We must assume (not always a good idea) that no one on the other end cares, so we move on to the next potential employer, sadly with the same results.

Will employers ever get it right and respond to employment applications and resumes from desperate job seekers with reasonable speed? The onus of any person seeking employment is first to follow the rules and supply employers with the proper application materials. However, employers must also do their part and help the unemployed crawl from under tons of red tape when they apply for positions at their companies.

For society to escape the wrath of the current recession and build a future, we all must work together to achieve the so-called ‘American Dream.’ How are our children to survive tomorrow if we—their leaders—fail to succeed in getting people back into a viable job today in a responsible and timely fashion? We need a solution now to this dilemma and I hope employers and the Obama Administration get it.

J.J.R. Ramey is a radio news anchorman, novelist, and motivational speaker based in New York City and the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Contact him through his website ate www.jjrramey.com.