A Series Of Dots . . . .

Federal Workforce Skills Commission

2009-01-17T03:45:00.001-05:00

In my previous post, I stated that we don’t have an income gap in America, we have a skills gap. I just have to write more about this. I will repeat part of that post here to set the tone. We all know how bad the economy is. We've heard about the millions that are unemployed. Many of you reading this may be one of those without a job. The latest numbers from the BLS in December show that unemployment is at an all time high and is now at 7.2% for the country.

Yet, if you go onto any on-line job search site there are thousands of job openings if not millions. So - if there are millions of jobs available, why are there millions of people unemployed?? In a survey of business owners in December, many said they were hiring and there was no shortage of applicants - but there was a shortage of skilled workers. They would hire if they found an applicant that had the skills that they needed for their company.

Today, our colleges and universities are at capacity – many adding more buildings and departments. It’s not just the kids fresh out of high school, either. Many adults that have been in the workforce for many years are back in school. We’ve heard it preached all of our lives that the way to get ahead is to get an education. I whole-heartedly agree. But – are we getting the wrong education? Let’s get the picture here. More and more people are being educated yet millions have no job because they have the wrong education.

Ironic, isn't it. To pull ourselves out of the unemployment quagmire, we need to have more skilled workers - educated skilled workers. Everyone needs a college degree but that degree needs to be in a field that will prepare her/him for viable employment when finished. One of the best initiatives our new president and his cabinet could put forth and make happen would be to create a new department to spearhead and coordinate the training of the workforce to meet the needs of industry. As it stands now, both industry and government depend on our education system to train workers. However, the dept. of education and the dept. of labor do not have the same goals. We need someone to be able to look at the big picture and determine the type workers America needs, now and for the future. We need a dept. called the Federal Workforce Skills Commission.

This federal agency then would create a 10-year plan to meet the goal of an educated and skilled workforce. The plan would be broken down into 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year time-bound goals. Then, the plan would be distributed to industry and education with each directly reporting the results of the program to the FWSC in Washington. Now I know that the last thing we need is another agency in the federal government. But people, we have to do something! With so many unemployed people with the wrong skills, there is a breakdown somewhere in the system. I’d be interested to hear your comments!

We don't have an income gap in America - we have a skills gap.

2009-01-15T00:43:00.005-05:00

Even with the bad economy today and millions of people unemployed, there are still millions of job openings. Jobs that are high-paying with solid income and benefits. So why are those positions still open?? Why do employers continually say they need to hire someone?? It's not because there is a shortage of people. It's because there is a shortage of skills. People do not have the skills necessary to be productive in those positions.

In my career, I have always been passionate about developing people. I love to train people and teach them the necessary skills to grow into a viable, productive, and contributing employee. I have been mentor to numerous employees and even developed a following as I changed companies a few years back.

I have interviewed, hired and developed thousands of employees and hundreds of managers. As I stated in my first post, the reason for my website and this blog is to teach management principles and standards a little snippet at a time. I refer to Leadership as A Series of Dots..... Read my first post to understand why.

In today's tech world, one of the best ways of learning a skill, if you can't get hands-on training, is by watching videos. Videos are accessible 24/7 and learning can take place at the time best suited for the individual. Learning is more comprehensive because videos involve more of the senses: seeing, hearing and reading. The comprehension of the material is greater and the retention of the knowledge is greater.

I've been wanting to find a company that produced learning videos in order to share with the readers of my website and blog. I finally found that company. I have set up a new website to utilize all the learning videos, Ted Duboise Learning International. The learning videos reveal the best practices of the most successful people and present it in the best learning environment - extremely high-quality videos and many in HD. It is an on-line community providing unlimited access to the masters of Business Training and Personal Development. This content is not available anywhere else. We bring the experts right to your home or office and teach you subjects such as Leadership, Tax Advice, Time and Wealth Management, Entrepreneurship, Sales, Management, and more. We help you learn essential topics for kids, teens, and young adults.

We provide daily mentoring and coaching, at a fraction of the normal cost, through a Library of learning videos. It is a Library that continues to expand as the best speakers in the world join the faculty bringing new and exciting learning videos every month. With most videos no more than eight minutes, the Library is open 24/7 on your computer or PDA. It is a comprehensive learning channel.

Learn new skills and improve your life and your income with unlimited access to the highest-quality learning videos. Join us at Ted Duboise Learning International.

Just wrote Guide: 5 Steps To Interviewing

2009-01-02T20:02:00.003-05:00

I just wrote a business guide on Work.com titled, 5 Steps To Interviewing. I actually wrote this article a few months back and it is part of the series, A Series of Dots. . . on quiltjazz. I will post the article here later. Check it out on Work.com: http://www.work.com/5-steps-to-interviewing-26831/

>> Ted <<

Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul

2008-12-27T02:13:00.009-05:00

From Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen comes another book in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series: Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul.

Do you love the thrill of seeing people's dreams come true? Do you enjoy the excitement of rooting for your favorite contestant ? Has your spirit ever soared from watching a performance on American Idol ? For anyone who has watched America 's best loved television show, here's a collection of captivating stories that take you into the hearts, minds and souls of the Idols, the fans, and the team that makes the show possible.

These are the stories the television cameras don't see—true, uplifting, and entertaining tales told with humor and candor that will leave you laughing, crying, and feeling inspired, whether you are a die-hard Idol watcher or an occasional fan . Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul is the perfect marriage of the #1 show in television history and the #1 non-fiction book series in publishing history—both dedicated to celebrating the triumph of spirit over adversity, the fulfillment of dreams coming true, and the power of love.

In Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul , those closest to the heart of American Idol — from the executive producers to the stylists, from the fans to the judges, from the top finalists to the behind-the-scenes crew —share their moving stories of obstacles overcome, love and support shared, lessons learned and lives touched and changed forever. This is truly the stuff that dreams are made of—and why almost 60 million people faithfully tune in week after week, year after year.

Watch the video below and then get the book now. Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul

A Series Of Dots . . . . .

2008-12-26T00:53:00.001-05:00

Welcome! First Post! While writing an article titled, "Leadership vs. Management, I checked Webster for a definition of "Leader" and one of the definitions presented was: "Printing. A series of dots [.......] to direct the reader to a specific point. --lead.er.ship". Although this definition was referring to the printing business, I realized what a correlation it had to "Leadership".

In business, a leader is always directing, coaching and teaching the employees. Leadership is a series of brief-but-to-the-point bits of information [dots] that you teach to employees [direct] to achieve specific goals [point]. Every day, if you have bits of information that you give to employees, that information will acculate over time and eventually they understand what you expect, what you will accept, and the type person that you are. So be a "leader" everyday for better results!

My name is Ted Duboise. I have been in business management and people leadership for almost 35 years. My intent is to share with you some of what I have learned - in practice, not in theory. When I was a teenager, I had a piano teacher that would always tell me: "An ounce of theory and a pound of practice - that's how you learn to play the piano".

In this blog, I will help you to be a leader. I have written a series of articles [dots] that I will give you to help direct you to a specific point. A Series of Dots: Stay Linked.

>> Ted <<