“Why can’t I find a job?” says a young man with some secondary education, very few skills and little practical experience in the workplace. “Why can’t I find enough skilled workers to produce my products?” states the owner of a small manufacturing firm. He goes on to say that while he interviews all the applicants that respond to his “help wanted” advertisements in the local newspapers, the applicants he sees applying for his openings simply do not have the technical skills and training required to work in his factory. They are not able to read well, do not understand technical documents, can not do math and can not write well or express themselves. It is all too clear that my “typical young job seeker” and my “typical manufacturer” are both very frustrated.

While the comments of the young job seeker and the manufacturer are fictitious, their positions and opinions regarding the current state of the job market are all too common. The contradiction shown is one that is played out thousands of times a day across the United States. The obvious question is why are all the efforts of so many organizations not answering the questions asked by these individuals?