For the past few years, I have spent a lot of time working with technology firms, trying to bring useful technology directly into the hands of workforce agencies and their clients.
Most recently, I have been working with state and county workforce agencies to help get people retrained and back to work. Since there are so many people in need of these types of employment services, technology has moved to the forefront for bringing powerful and meaningful help into the lives of millions of displaced workers.
As workforce agencies look to technology solutions to expand the depth and breadth of their employment services, they must consider the following:
- New technology must integrate with current legacy systems
- New technology must be easy to use for workforce agency clients and administrators
- New technology must provide measurable performance results for both clients and the agencies themselves.
What all this really means is that any new workforce technology must work — and work FAST.
We need to implement technology that will expedite the process of getting people assessed, retrained, and back into new jobs and careers.
Companies like Gale-Cengage in Farmington Hills have taken the leap forward and invested in this type of technology. They’re working with public libraries and regional and state workforce agencies to give people the power to assess their skills, explore new training and job opportunities, and get back into the workforce quickly www.gale.com/CareerTransitions.
Now, we just need more private and public sector experts working together to provide the right services to the right people at the right time using the right technology.
Once this happens, we will begin to see the positive change that will impact all of our lives for the better.
