Middle KY Site Visit

Last week took us to Jackson, Kentucky and the Middle Kentucky Community Action Agency for a first time training opportunity. We enjoyed meeting the local staff, having lunch together, and taking a driving tour of Breathitt and Lee counties. It is amazing how large these counties are and how competitive their sports teams are. We look forward to future visits with the Middle Kentucy folks.

Contractions!!!!!!!

As a GCDF, you know the job market is tight, right?


The overall unemployment rate in the United States is sitting at around 9.6 percent.

This statistic is almost double the unemployment rate for years. What is really going on? Economists are trying to gain a grasp on all the complexity of the market, when really it is quite simple:

Technology just blew up a HUGE balloon, tied the knot and now is sqeezing the workforce.

Let me explain.

The huge balloon of technology

Technology has ended the industrial age as we know it. We are know in a knowledge economy where information is instant and available to the masses. This access to knowledge is like someone took an empty balloon, filled it with air and gave a new dimension to what has previously been lifeless.

The explosion of the computer, technological resources and the Internet has flourished for the most part. The dot-com bust caused the big balloon to be tied with a knot.

Now, the balloon is being squeezed. If you took a balloon, blew it up, tied a knot and squuezed it, you would see the American economy at work.

How?

Well, when you sqeeze one section and it contracts, another section of the baloon is forced to expand. It is the nature of expansion.

Our recession that has been so negatively portrayed by the media is a contraction in the market. The key to our dismay is that NO ONE is pointing to the expansion and movement in another part of this balloon. When one part contracts, another expands.

So what is contracted in the market? The jobs that are no longer viable because technology has made them faster, easier and cheap. What is expanding? The businesses that make it faster, easier and cheaper for the employer using technology as the catalyst for change. It is a simple equation that has had devastating results because we have been largely unprepared for the intensity of the squeeze.

In the end, if our nation recognized and prepared for the contraction, this unemployment rate would have been minimized. Economists can only predict. However, it would be a beneficial resource to have a career counselor as an advisor to the President. They focus on when the balloon is has air being pumped into it not just cry like a baby when everyone thinks it has popped.

It hasn't. It has just been squeezed. In a future postI will focus on our major resource to take us to the height of this new economy. You can probably guess what that is.

Bell Whitley Site Visit

Today's training took us to Pineville where we met with our GCDFs and some of their colleagues for resume and interview training. There was some lively discussion related to local norms and how jobs are obtained. During the afternoon we had the chance to learn more about client communities. Thanks for your wonderful hospitality.

Training Date Change

Please note the following new date.

March 4-5, 2011 GCDF Class of 2008 Training #5

"GCDF Forecast Tools for Client Success"

National Career Development Month

November is National Career Development Month. Hopefully your agencies have some special programs planned. For a list of creative ideas for all populations go to http://associationdatabase.com/aws/NCDA/pt/sp/ncdmonth (Look on the right hand column under NCD Month Resources).

Site Visits to Daniel Boone and LKLP

This week the high winds blew us down to Manchester for training and a site visit with Terrina, Shirley, Alesia, Phillip, Jo Ann, and Linda. Thanks for the delicious potluck luncheon and homemade pies. On a tour of the county, we learned more about the documentary Appalachian Dawn and how local ministers collaborated to fight back against drugs in the community. It is being touted as a model in others areas of the country.

Also this week we spent time in Hazard training with Allison, Mona, Lynn, Mary, Donna, Jack, Shirley, Bobbie, Brian, Kathy, and Irene. Another potluck lunch was greatly appreciated. The peanut butter cake and pumpkin rolls were amazing! Community visits in the afternoon took us to Hindman and the Artisan Center, Bobbie and Mary's office (as well as where their new office will be located), and a shopping spree at Yoders. We also took in the Community Sports complex. A special thank you to Brian and Donna for sitting on the reclaimed coal mine ridge for three hours watching for elk. Of the supposed 7000 elk in the area, we did not see a single one. Our motto for the viewing was "any minute now" or "it won't be much longer". Fortunately, we had excellent company and beautiful views of the region from our peak viewing spot.

Site Visits

This week we have put the miles on the Careerspan car visiting our GCDF colleagues across the region. We have had beautiful weather and the fall leaves have been lovely. Yesterday we travelled to Harlan to meet with Celia, Chris and Flora. Chris shared a 1939 copy of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles that the libary was about to toss. Lots of "R" jobs. After our GCDF CEU training, we visited the CAA's remodeled building. What a transformation. Then we surprised Karen and dropped in on her at Harlan County High School near the end of her school day. My is her classroom, lab, and kitchens impressive as is the school. It features lots of glass windows with terrific views of the mountains, and an amazing gym and theater. There are so many activitites for students to get involved in, it's not surprising that the drop out rate last year was extremely low! Who wouldn't want to go to this school.

Today we headed to Paintsville. What a crowd Valerie gathered up for our morning training session. So good to see "yall". After lunch, we toured the Carl Perkins Vocational Rehabilitation Center and the local Entrepreneur Resource Center. Thanks for a great day!