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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]There are some people who should not go to college and I've been hearing that [b]manufacturers are having a hard time finding sufficiently educated workers because anyone with an education doesn't want to work in a factory. I'm [/b]a bit concerned that there is so much emphasis on going to college that schools are not preparing kids for non-college jobs and that these kids are being set up for failure.

That said, I think Santorum's comment is total bullshit! He's a hypocrite.  I'm sure he wants all his kids to go to college and law school/grad school! He doesn't care about those kids who need a viable alternative to college.[/quote]

The reality is a little bit more nuanced than that. Manufacturers currently need people with the skills to work in highly specialized fields that have traditionally been considered vocational, such as welding or programming specific state-of the art machines. These are jobs that typically require a couple of years of training, so no average college graduate, no matter how motivated to earn some kind of living, is going to be able to fill these jobs on the spot. In addition, many people who are trained for similar jobs but on older technology are unemployed because their training is obsolete. Some companies are resorting to desperate measures and starting to train people, but only as a last resort.

There was an article in the WSJ a few months ago describing a job fair for applicants in these fields. They were being asked to take qualification tests, drug tests etc. at their own cost before qualifying for interviews. Understandably, unless you're desperate, why would you pay $50 to pass some tests to see if you even qualify for an interview for a job that's going to pay $15-20/hr? I don't know how prevalent this practice is but I've always worked in white collar jobs where you are wooed and everything is reimbursed during the interview process, so that detail really stuck out in my mind.

But yes, Santorum really is scum.[/quote]

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