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Life without Workforce Development

On the news there is a lot of chatter about reducing or eliminating social programs due to the costs of running these programs. Workforce development can be seen by some people as a social program due to the free services to people that many programs offer. For a moment, I would like to imagine a world without workforce development programs to showcase the importance of our industry.
 
 
Before workforce development was ever thought of as a social program, it was imagined to be a form of economic development. In the world without workforce development, there would not be as many new businesses and ultimately not as many jobs for individuals. Workforce development provides services to business to help them grow. It may be information on taxes, business planning services, or assistance with hiring and training employees. Sometimes the assistance is financial. A business may be able to grow and develop due to utilization of specific funds such as, On the Job Training, Customized Training, or Incumbent Worker Training. In the first few years following the elimination of workforce development, only well established companies will continue to thrive. Many years following the elimination, business growth will be hard to organize and measure.
 
The impact to society will also be felt through the people.  There will be people that will not be able to find jobs after job loss, gain new skills, or gain access to re-employment assistance. The impact of the loss of workforce development is not just an office full of workers, but the taxpayers that are created each time someone gains a job. In the first few years following the elimination of workforce development, people will not be able to get assistance with finding a job. Talented workers may take a job that they are overqualified for or fall out of the labor market. Those that cannot find work will need to find other ways to support themselves that is not measured. The crime rate will increase as people that feel they have no option or skills will choose crime to support themselves. Many years following the elimination of workforce development, the middle class will be eliminated entirely from the American landscape. There will be less tax payers supporting the country. People will either be rich or poor.
 
Finally, without workforce development, the government entities that support these programs will be shrunk in size. Without workforce development, the unemployment insurance compensation will not be able to be maintained. Statistics on labor and growth and development will be without validity. The reporting structure that maintain these systems rely not only on workforce development professionals, but programs to feed information. Once the programs that are monitored by government agencies are eliminated, the need for that government department is eliminated.
 
This past week, I started thinking about workforce programs as my state is struggling with passing a state budget. Federally, I am aware that the American Congress will have the same decisions to make. Budgets are serious business and unfortunately there are times when decisions to reduce or eliminate are necessary. As a workforce professional, a tax payer, and a worker in America, it is important to not only be an informed citizen, but to remind those with decision making power of the importance of workforce programs.
 
~Karen Cirincione
Email:kcirincione@gmail.com
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/karenjcirincione
Twitter: @kcirincione

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