Edward M. Kennedy wrote:

"USENET READER" wrote


Reputation. A medical standards group that racks up a lot of
bozos with malpractice suits is dead in the water. Right now,
the system is not only biased, there's not much feedback.

There's no shortage of certification systems in the private market.
A bachelors degree in engineering from an *accredited* university
is also a form accredation. Microsoft does a lot too, as does the
Red Cross for lifeguards.

You raise an interesting point. The problem is that those
certifications and degrees cost money out front before you even get a
job that might not be there when you graduate.


If you can't hold a job and earn certifications from Microsoft
at the same time, you aren't very employable to begin with.

Sorry - many people who work today have to work long and hard hours and
their lives aren't their own. Most people have to not only get this
certification apart from work, but they also have to pay for it on their
own too! Someone who is told that they have to work tonight (when they
should be going to their certification class) or they don't have to come
in the next day has a tough choice to make. Getting your certification
on the job is so much better.

And it's tougher to pay for that very expensive certification if you
don't have a job - that is some expensive shit! You can't even get the
State to pay for it in a reasonable period of time - let's say taking
classes at the McKimmon Center - because the classes are so much more
expensive than at Wake Tech - where it will take a lot longer to
complete the course work.



"Would you like to supersize that?" And don't leave the nest
until you can fly.


One of the things that a union has done in the past is to have a system
for new workers to come into a system as a helper or apprentice and work
and learn at the same time, until they passed some sort of
certification. And they didn't have to take out loans or pay someone to
teach them - they learned on the job while they were getting paid. And
while they were learning, they had job protection. What could possibly
be wrong with that?


Nothing. The false dichotomy (again) is that you need a union
to have apprenticeships. Many, many professions have some
form of this.

--Ted

Since few employees have the bargaining strength these days (relative to
their employers) to negotiate for paid on the job training, unions do
help with that. Name me a profession that isn't unionized that have
apprenticeships? And don't say medicine, because that is apples and
oranges.