Yes there are National skill shortages, but this national problem can only be answered locally. Every locale has its very own personality, needs, and in this case skill gaps. You weren’t naive enough to think we could just start-up a national skill factory and answer the problem did you. The root of the problem is LOCAL and to answer this problem you can’t expect national answers.

Hard questions…
What are you doing to answer your local community’s talent problems? Are the kids in your Junior High, High School, Community College, and Universities focusing on curriculum that will provide for the local economy? Does your company support adult education classes and resources that will re-tool adults specifically for another local career and fill your local talent gaps? How is your company impacting talent growth in your community?

A man with ANSWERS… Now lets change focus to a man who is truly making a difference and impacting lives daily by interacting, educating and creating TOP TALENT locally and hopefully soon in 100 local markets. Bill Strickland is President and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation. At the Texas Workforce Commission Conference a few months ago I was lucky enough to hear Bill’s story of success. No fancy presentations, no whiz bang jargon, just a man sharing his story of hope. This message of hope and success is a template for our workforce and should be, in a variety of ways, implemented in every city throughout the nation. Bill’s success comes from a common sense approach of merely doing the right and smart thing, devoid of government and corporate bureaucracy. This cat’s got it figured out!

Manchester Bidwell is actually two schools in one world class setting.

Bidwell Training Center enrolls people who are as diverse as those found at any workplace. Some are preparing for their first job. Others are learning job skills that will enable them to pursue a new career, or advance in their current job. Whatever their backgrounds, Bidwell students share one common goal: the desire for more satisfying and rewarding careers.

Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild includes the nationally recognized MCG Youth program—dedicated to educating and inspiring Pittsburgh’s urban youth through the arts. Through public art exhibitions, MCG connects diverse, accomplished visual artists to Pittsburgh and its communities. Through Grammy-producing MCG Jazz, a social enterprise dedicated to preserving, presenting and promoting jazz music, MCG stimulates intercultural understanding and appreciation in the region and throughout the world.

I would try and tell Bill’s tale although I am confident that I would not do it justice. So I have found short video clips of Bill’s fantastic story. Enjoy!

Bill’s Story - video
“I Believe that people were born into this world as assets, not liabilities” - Bill Strickland

People are the Function of the Environment - video
“In order to work with people who have been left behind by life, you have to look like the solution not the problem.”
- Bill Strickland

Jazz is Life - video
“You don’t have to have a tuxedo on to be a world class citizen.” - Bill Strickland

Scalable - video
“We got the poor people in the next century…and they’re doing fine.” - Bill Strickland

Make the Impossible Possible - video
“I’m doing this because I want to change the planet and I want to do it with you…” - Bill Strickland

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Well it’s no secret, Joel and I have been trying to sync schedules, for about a month, to launch a new podcast show.

What to expect from the Chad and Cheezhead Show?

Well I wouldn’t set your expectations too high, but imagine a couple of guys on bar stools with their favorite lager talking about the online recruitment industry. That’s how I would describe the Chad ‘N Cheezhead Show, and any ERE event you’ve probably attended. We’ll purposely touch on subjects that are controversial and more than likely disagree on certain topics, although don’t expect any RecruitingAnimal WWE rage performances.

On this very first installment our idea was to pick 10 topics and talk, debate, or just laugh about it for 2 minutes, in theory giving us a 20 minute show. Well the end result was an hour, yea no kidding an hour!

After listening check out my version, slightly funnier than Joel’s, of the Chad and Cheezhead Show page, and without further adieu here’s the very first installment… We hope you enjoy!

In this episode:
1. Super Bowl stuff (0:58) - It’s a tad dated although Joel asks if the typical “Colt-fan” was happy Eli got the W? Also SB commercials winners, losers, and favorites.
2. The economy (7:36) - How will the turbulence affect our industry?
3. Acquisitions (12:30) - Who is being gobbled up and why?
4. Startups (19:12) - Our thoughts on Notchup & Standoutjobs.
5. Vertical search engines and permalinks (31:11) - I have to drag Joel away from the ledge on this one. Dude, relax already..
6. Video’s growing influence (42:57) - How will the online recruiting industry leverage video? Monetize? or will we try to stuff it in a traditional box like we always do?
7. High tech vs. high touch recruiting (52:00) - Can the recruiting industry be high tech and high touch?
8. Off to Fort Benning (57:38) - Where? Why? Huh?
9. Closing remarks - (59:17)

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I received a call last week accompanied by an emailed presentation about TMP’s Work With Me Facebook gadget, which after a lengthy conversation and review of the material I am labeling:

“New & improved TMP snake oil“… 2.0 of course

Let’s start with excerpts from the November press release…
“After adding the employer specific application (gadget) to their Facebook profiles, employees will be able to self-select which jobs will be displayed by job category, enabling their friends to view job details and seamlessly apply to positions of interest directly through WORK WITH ME. Employees and corporate recruiters can view real-time click-through metrics to evaluate progress, in addition to receiving candidate referral information that aids in facilitating traditional Employee Referral Programs.”

In short, for a $23,000US annual price tag your employees can add your company jobs to their Facebook profile page and make them available to their friends. The pay-off is IF one of their friends applies to a job through the Work With Me gadget on their Facebook profile they could receive an employee referral cash bonus.

Bonus? This unproven product should be a FREE bonus for clients who are already spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, maybe more, with TMP.

“One of TMP’s goals is to help our clients embrace and implement innovative, interactive strategies,” stated Michelle Abbey, president and CEO of TMP Worldwide. Did you notice the word “EFFECTIVE” is absent? Freudian?

At the end of the day, this is just another vendor who is focusing more on the Whiz Bang and not the best BANG for a clients buck. TMP just needs to refocus on client needs and get away from islands and avatars.

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Just the other day I stumbled upon John Kao’s blog, on c|net, which strongly suggests why all presidential candidates should be focusing on INNOVATION in the U.S..

“Different countries have different models, ranging from heavy government direction like Finland, to the U.S. style “let ‘er rip” system that relies on bottoms-up innovation. For the U.S. to better compete, Kao said, it needs a strategy that makes innovation more of a priority. ”

I have to agree with John that our country needs a higher priority for innovation, although I don’t believe sole responsibility lies with our government. Government can incent but cannot fix innovation gaps.

John also stated “I want the government to oversee the best platform possible, like the national highway system, but I want total freedom for entrepreneurs,”

Quick question for John… Are you kidding? Okay no that’s not the question… What makes anyone think government has any idea what a real innovation platform would look like let alone how to manage it? Maybe government could provide incentives for innovative programs that produce a competitive advantage for our nation, but build and manage innovation? No likely John, not likely.

Here’s a quick example… The United States Government didn’t ask Ben Rich and Lockheed Martin to create stealth technology. Lockheed’s Skunk Works created the revolutionary technology as a way to outwit Russia’s dominant missile technology. Lockheed and the Skunk Works were provided an enormous government contract only after demonstrating their problem solving innovation. Lockheed’s Skunk Works is heralded as an innovative force in their industry even forcing Boeing to create the Phantom Works. Competition breeds innovation…

End result, government should not provide a structure for innovation, although may provide creative incentives pushing more companies to create their very own progressive R&D programs, like the Skunk Works, focused on answering economic, workforce, and educational threats through innovation.

In closing from John, “Prioritizing innovation for societal goals now is more like preventive medicine.“

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Big props to companies like Siemens who promote high school level math and science competition and provide winners with up to $100k for their innovative ideas.

This type of High School program is vital to our nation’s workforce, moreover our economy. For several years the U.S. has been slipping in the areas of Math and Science, only through programs such as these will companies be able to attract, develop and retain MORE young talent in our nation.

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