Skills Gap in US – Importance of Vocational Training
The WSJ piece notes:
“Both the White House
and governors are trying to fight a so-called skills gap among U.S. workers
that many businesses blame for the slow labor-market recovery. Although plenty
of Americans are looking for work, employers often lament a lack of qualified
workers—particularly young people.
Germany, in contrast,
has a long record of finding a stronger fit between employees' skills and
employers' demands. The success is reflected in a youth unemployment below 8%,
the lowest of any advanced country and about half of the U.S. level. The
apprenticeship system is credited as a leading driver of what many European
economists call the German labor-market "miracle.""
Related:
German Robotics Firm Trains US Workers
http://online.wsj.com/articles/german-style-training-for-american-factory-workers-1410296094
A 2012 PBS Newshour report discusses the distinctive German
approach: