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Michigan is in the midst of a “work force development crisis” and parents and school counselors may be prolonging it, the state’s chief job development officer suggests. “We are losing jobs, we are importing people in. We are slipping and we must do something about it now. We can’t wait much longer,” said Dr. Barbara Bolin, director of the Michigan Department of Career Development (MDCD). “We’re not only in a situation where there are not enough people to fill available positions, the people we have available aren’t skilled enough to fill those positions,”she said. “We are in a crisis.” |
 Education Advisory Group Chairman Charlie Mahoney (left) introduced Dr. Bolin (right) at The Links at Lake Erie. |
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She made the remarks at the March 13th Monroe County Chamber of Commerce Koffee Klub gathering at the Links at Lake Erie golf course. “As technology is galloping along, our work force is falling further and further behind,” she said. She said studies show that one in four youth age 16 to 24 in the United States is functionally illiterate. “When you rank the countries, we fall so far down the list, it’s terrifying,” she said. When it comes to science and math — the disciplines commonly used in technological jobs — fourth-graders do well compared to those of other countries. But at the eighth-grade level, the United States ranks fourth, fifth or sixth and eleventh- and twelfth-graders are “at the bottom of the heap.” |
 Dr. Bolan took a moment to meet Charlene J. Drumm, Personnel Assistant for the City of Monroe, who was at the Monroe Service Center to attend their monthly employer training for the Michigan Talent Bank. (left to right) Charlene J. Drumm; Barbara Verran, Director of MCETD; Dr. Bolin; Charlie Mahoney. |
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She said though $600 billion is spent annually on the educational system in the U.S., “nationally, employers are spending $62 billion a year in training and remedial education. That shouldn’t be happening with a $600 billion investment in education.”
“Parents are my nemesis, followed very closely by school counselors.” She said counselors “are so caught up doing social work, they can’t counsel kids on work and careers.” And she said students aren’t enrolling in apprenticeship programs available around the state because many parents urge them to go to college. “Why is it that we have in this country a definition of success that is so inappropriate?” she asked. She said at one time it might have been true that if you got a four-year degree and a middle-management job, you’d be set for life. |
 During her tour, Dr. Bolin spoke with the GED preparation class about their future career plans. |
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“The world has changed,” she said. “The middle management jobs aren’t there anymore.” This push to go to four-year colleges means some kids are going to universities when they shouldn’t. “Too many kids are drifting through high school and then go to college because mom and dad want them to,” she said, adding that that may be one of the reasons there’s a 60 percent dropout rate at the end of the freshman year. A better option for many may be to go to community colleges first, she said. “It’s a good, inexpensive and smart way to start a career for many young people.” For employers, her advice included offering internships to high school students, teachers and counselors so they can better understand the skills needed in the work force. Born and raised in England, Dr. Bolin taught math and science in Australia, taught at Texas universities, worked for Dell Computer Corp. and held education and workforce development posts for the State of Texas before being hired in 1999 to head the MDCD. After her talk on Tuesday ( March 13, 2001) she toured the Monroe County MichiganWorks! Service Center and Employment and Training Department (MCETD). | |
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