On Unemployment with No High School Diploma? You May be Forced to Get a GED

On February 2, 2012 The House-Senate discussions on approving an extension of unemployment benefits beyond March 1, 2012 has a proposal on the table that would require people who do not have a high school diploma to take G.E.D. classes as a condition of receiving more unemployment income.  They do not agree on the approach, but it is on the table for consideration.  See C-SPANS’s coverage of the discussion at the link below.  Forward the video to 34:00 min to hear the discussion on this issue; listen for about 30 minutes.

CLICK HERE TO SEE C-SPAN’S VIDEO OF THE COMMITTEE MEETING – (Make sure you’re watching the 2^nd of 3 meetings)

What are my thoughts on this matter?

I believe there should be some sort of condition for everyone receiving ‘extended’ UI benefits, however there must be additional considerations included. As one who has 10+ years of experience in adult education, I know many adult students who are low literacy, low skill and therefore do not have enough literacy to comprehend the GED textbooks, which start at about 5th grade reading level. These students require a fair amount of additional support services and time before they can even tackle the GED curriculum. GED is not necessarily purposed to BUILD literacy skills as much as it is to show proof that you have them.

Secondly, if a person is out of work because the work they’ve done most of their life is now obsolete, that person needs job re-training along with GED test preparation, and will need to accomplish both in the limited amount of time provided in the UI extension. This is a unrealistic expectation.

Thirdly, many adult students – who are retirement age – and have qualified for extended UI benefits along with job retraining benefits under other training benefit plans often attend school/training just as a means to delay receiving their social security for 2 years, yet having no intention to return to the workforce. These folks are a challenge in the classroom because they are there for the wrong reasons and they do not take the training seriously.

On the flip side, I personally know of many people who are “comfortable” only depending on their unemployment income and who have not made any real effort to find employment. They did, however, start looking for work when they were unsure if the December extension would pass.

Something needs to be done to get folks moving and engaged back into the workforce but requiring GED for UI isn’t it.

Skills Needed by School Clerical Support Staff

We surveyed clerical support workers at several K-12 school-sites to find out what skills current school clerical support workers needed most to do there jobs more efficiently (click to see results). We also surveyed local residents to find out what barriers kept them from taking the courses needed to improve their work and career outlook. The number one response was: time. If time is limited but you want to gain more skills, online classes may be a good alternative to traditional classes.
School clerical support staff; consider these online classes as an option to learn ways to work more efficiently and effectively.
 

Communications

•  Grammar Refresher- Gain confidence in your ability to produce clean, grammatically correct documents and speeches.  (click here: http://alturl.com/t2mso)

• Effective Business Writing – Improve your career prospects by learning how to develop powerful written documents that draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue to the end. (click here http://alturl.com/pt7f8)

Administrative Support

• Administrative Assistant Fundamentals – Prepare to take advantage of the many new job opportunities in health care, legal services, and other industries. (click here: http://alturl.com/54mhm)

• Introduction to Nonprofit Management – Develop the skills and strategies you need to become an integral part of one of America’s fastest growing service sectors. (click here: http://alturl.com/hevub)

Computer & Technology Skills

• Intermediate Microsoft Word 2007 – Learn more advanced features of Microsoft Word 2007, which enable you to create an index, a list of figures, and a table of contents, do desktop publishing, perform a mail merge, and use timesaving macros. (NOTE: If you do not feel ready for Intermediate Microsoft Word, take Introduction for Microsoft Word 2007 first). (Click here: http://alturl.com/rn8b4)

• Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2007 – Do you work with numbers? You need to know Excel. Learn the secrets of this powerful application. (click here: http://alturl.com/cnk8y)

• Photographing People with Your Digital Camera – Learn to take beautiful pictures of adults, children, and babies. (click here: http://alturl.com/a3amu)

Other Recommended Courses

• Handling Medical Emergencies – Every second counts during a medical emergency. Learn how to respond if someone needs your help. (Click here: http://alturl.com/p2par)

• Designing Effective Websites – Learn powerful graphic design techniques and build Web sites that are both attractive and wickedly effective. (click here: http://alturl.com/jxyyf)

• Introduction to Adobe Acrobat 9 – Create PDF documents and more with Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro, and learn to use many of the software’s time- and cost-saving features. (click here: http://alturl.com/igq56)

If you want to become the Office Manager, consider these courses as well:

• Fundamentals of Supervision and Management – Learn the people skills required to motivate and delegate, and learn tools for solving problems and resolving conflicts. (http://alturl.com/wrnoh)

• Accounting Fundamentals – Gain a marketable new skill by learning the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, financial reporting, and more. (http://alturl.com/jznd8)

• Accounting Fundamentals II – Give yourself skills that are in high demand by exploring corporate accounting with a veteran instructor. (http://alturl.com/k3vjj)

• Introduction to QuickBooks 2009 or 2010 – Learn how to quickly and efficiently gain control over the financial aspects of your business. (Click here: http://alturl.com/8i7s6)

Check it out and share your feedback.  Thanks!

- Michelle Walker-Wade