We don’t  – But I will get to that in a moment.
With all this hub-bub about the lame ass marketing skills coming from our own community development office and the SD Republic party’s personal ad agency (who continues to mysteriously win all of the State’s RFPs) it has gotten me thinking about the bigger picture, or let’s at least say the bigger more important objective of workforce development.
Last week I was having a conversation about this topic with a Sioux Falls city councilor, and I asked him, “Why do we need to recruit people to Sioux Falls? Isn’t Sioux Falls large enough? Why do we need to grow?â€
But more importantly we both had an ‘Ah-Ha’ moment. Why not make salaries, job training and the quality of life for the people who already live here better FIRST. Then once we have declared success on that front, we can show the rest of the country (or even the universe) how we have made South Dakota better for our existing residents with boundless opportunities to advance in your career.
Let’s face it, the first step to a better quality of life is a fatter wallet. I chuckle at these commercials where people are fishing on Bayliners, driving Harleys and recreating in the Black Hills. Guess what, all of these things take money, and with having one of the highest rates of impoverished children in the country, I don’t think too many South Dakotans are driving to the food bank on their Harleys.
Let’s face it, companies in South Dakota CAN afford to pay better, but I will also defend them by saying it is a two-way street, workers that already exist in this state are going to have to be willing to learn new things and make an effort.
We don’t need to recruit workers to our state, we need to recruit companies to make better lives for their current employees which means intensive on the job training, education, and paying above a living wage. It will take a REAL and PERSONAL investment from the companies, not just taxpayers, but hey that’s how the FREE market works. We can’t continue to depend on corporate welfare for these companies to get workers.
If we don’t try this approach, no number of idiotic TV commercials by Loser & Shister or billboards in Downtown Minneapolis of Smiling Mayor Mike are going to turnaround our (qualified) worker shortage.
I have often said “All politics are local†well the same goes for a strong workforce. Let’s cleanup our neighborhood first before inviting other neighborhoods over for a block party.
Lots of residents stay home on welfare because they can’t make a living wage and especially can’t afford child care. They want to work. Just raise wages and benefits. Makes no sense to recruit out of state so they can come here only to discover they too must go on welfare. All that happens is more low income subsidized projects with more food stamps and more crime.
Huether found a subject he could distort into the wrong spin while also promoting himself. This from a man known for hawking 35% credit cards. Makes more sense to send a grand to Algeria so a prince can bond out his inheritance.
Quote “But more importantly we both had an ‘Ah-Ha’ moment. Why not make salaries, job training and the quality of life for the people who already live here better FIRST. Then once we have declared success on that front, we can show the rest of the country (or even the universe) how we have made South Dakota better for our existing residents with boundless opportunities to advance in your career.”
Well, well, well, DL – seems like you and your friend have finally caught up to the thinking of that danged bunch of Sioux Falls Tomorrow folks that put this notion in writing – TWO YEARS AGO. But of course – THEN – this was just some whacky notion coming out of the minds of a bunch of “outsiders” – at least according to your writings here – on this blog – at that time.
Ruf, that is great! Can you paste those findings into a comment or link them for all of us to read?
Impoverish>I donated $40 to get our firehouse a new old glory Glamerica is not the country I rose up in,…
but the shit was all tattered up from the prairie wind on the ass end.Pride cometh before the fall?
OBG
God bless keep and save all of you humans DD most importantly 8> and be ready to defend SD from Chicago and Omaho when the EBt is shut off.
Sensible.
Why would anyone want to live & work here? Jobs are low wage cubicle slave imprisonment. Entertainment is indoor tennis, swimming, events center, pavillion, zoo, & theater confinement. Find a city with parks and outdoor recreation.
A lot of the jobs are the type that could be like an apprenticeship, where the employer actually cared enough to train the employee instead of expecting them to be pre-trained and experienced in the job. Why can’t things like welders, mechanics, secretaries be trained on the job instead of having to go to school for the training and then have to find an employer that doesn’t want to hire somebody that already has experience? Jobs like mechanics and secretaries used to be available right out of high school and the person could work their way up, aways. To me it seems like the employers now are lazy or else maybe they don’t know how to do the job themselves.
http://media.wix.com/ugd/2e244f_9b08143181274e8399bde54f5d81dd5e.pdf
Previous link was to the 2004 SFT report. Here is the 2014 report.
http://media.wix.com/ugd/a81a17_74214a1fb0e645e88ad90684e90c2c22.pdf
Over the last 10 years, I have watched the job boards because I was looking to better myself. The positions in smaller companies I have had were less than ideal: with a bully for an office manager, an employer who lied about what was offered, a new owner who cut bennies, my commission, and wanted to take my customer base away because I was making too much money. The lack of respect and seeing the employee as an asset, who can/has built their business is done. Is this what we have come to?
I started cleaning houses at 14 and that makes 50 years of working. NEVER in those years have I been treated so badly as the last 10.
When I go into an interview, I always ask how many people have had this position and why did they leave. I am hearing many younger people have had the job and they do not last and can not do the job. (We are talking office and sales, not retail.) What I have found is the employer, not only treats the person badly, but the training is lacking. When I say training, I mean to teach the person the what exactly they want done, how to use the particular software, and company policy.
Job descriptions are often ambiguous or none existent.
In Sioux Falls, not all of us want to work for the large companies like the credit card companies or the mega medical complexes.
Do I have the skills/talents and am I a good employee? Yes, but now…usually over qualified and too old. Am I the only older worker who is saying this? NO.
My heart what’s left of it goes out to you Gayle
OBG
finito