The Huffington Post recently published NFWS Executive Director Fred Dedrick's article "To Fix Skills Gap, Think Local." In the piece, Dedrick argues
This skills gap is the visible symptom of an inadequate and inefficient workforce development system. The economy has changed dramatically since the great recession. Many of the jobs that disappeared are not returning. Jobs requiring more advanced training and skills are replacing them. As a nation, we have not figured out how to get jobseekers ready and into the jobs that exist, or will exist, in their community. And that may be the key: There is no such thing as a national economy when it comes to workforce development. The jobs that are and will be available and the skill sets needed by employers vary by community and industry. There are countless local economies.
Read the entire article here.