Skilled-labor shortage is no coincidence

The Daily Herald ran a guest editorial from Todd Maisch, head of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce on May 8. The essay says that Illinois' employers are starving for skilled labor for well-paying jobs.

Trained entry level employees with the needed skills are not available. In the past, students chose either a college or a vocational high school track and received appropriate training in numbers that matched the demand. He says the vocational track was not currently present in enough schools.

But there is a lot he did not say. Previously this training was provided by unions through apprentice programs. Apprentices were hired after high school, working, studying and understudying with union craftsmen. High schools prepared their students to enter these programs. In-house training was done so people moved up With a few nonmanufacturing exceptions, vocational apprenticeships or in-house options are no longer available. Mr. Maisch and his organization have worked diligently and successfully to destroy unions. To fill the gap he wants the public sector to train people, to his specification, for today's open positions.

He wants us to come up with money - previously the responsibility of companies - to train his potential employees. Once again, we taxpayers take the risk of these employees staying in the state, while he gets the trainees gratis. This is called socializing the risk and privatizing the profit. If this were paid for by a fee on the types of employers who benefit, it would be a different story. But it isn't. It's corporate welfare.

This skilled labor shortage is not a coincidence. It is a direct consequence of actions taken by the Illinois Chamber. And to provide for our children and save Illinois jobs we are "urged" to create this training. Not create, but re-create.

Mark Muehlhausen

Schaumburg