Finally, the role of work gives an individual self-worth. Aside from economic reasons, many people who are beyond retirement age choose to continue to work. There are all types of reasons, from boredom to need of a routine, or to get out of the house; people continue to work, even if they don’t have the need to do so.
Foundational Components of Workforce Development
The are a number of foundational components of workforce development. They fall into political, socio-economic, or social categories. The following components are addressed below: 1) Supply and Demand; 2) Human Capital Investment; 3) Workforce Productivity; 4) Work Ethics; and 5) Family Influences.
1. Supply and Demand – When the demand for workers exceeds the supply, or if the supply of worker exceeds the demand, the labor pool is either reduced or increased. The ideal situation for the national economy and for individuals is when supply equals demand. In the technical fields, there is a demand that exceeds the supply of technicians. This has affected the development of the workforce.
2. Human Capital Investment – Labor is considered the most important component of national wealth. Therefore, the workforce must be of a high quality. To ensure a high quality workforce, it is vital that investments are towards the workforce. In theory, investment in human capital will lead to greater economic outputs. Individuals with advanced skills earn higher salaries.
3. Workforce Productivity – The output of goods and services that results from an hour of labor is workforce productivity. The skill-level of a worker correlates with the wage-level. An example would be that a high-skills worker would receive a high wage. Workforce education is a must to bring the workforce to the level of skill necessary to support high wages.
4. Work Ethics – An appropriate work ethic is a fundamental characteristic needed by employees. Many workforce educators overlook the Level I skills (on-time to work, basic courtesies to co-worker, etc.) and do not address work ethic as a basic fundamental need.
5. Family Influences – the socioeconomic status of a family is related to the career development, socialization, and career choices of children. This is referred to as the status attainment model. The basic concept is that ones parent’s social status affects the level of schooling achieved which affects the occupational level achieved. Recently, the concepts of mental ability and socio/psychological processes have been added to this model.
Forces Which Affect the Character of Work
The are many forces that affect the character of work. The most constant attribute about these forces is that they are always a factor in affecting work. Five of them are described below: 1) Technology, Information, and Power; 2) Stress; 3) Free Trade; 4) The Global Economy; and 5) Downsizing and Reorganization.
1. Technology, Information, and Power – Advanced technology has changed the distribution of power and information in organizations. Because of computers, more workers are sharing more information in the workplace. This means that the typical worker who, in the past, did not have a lot of information is now getting that information and so the power that comes with knowledge is being diffused.
2. Stress – Stress has become a major health hazard in the workplace, resulting in stress-related absenteeism, medical expenses, alcoholism, and drug abuse. With the rapid increase of advanced technologies, more stress is added due to increased responsibilities without increased authority for the worker. There is also an increased demand for higher education, which contributes to work related stress.
3. Free Trade – The argument for free trade is that every country would be better off economically if it produced only those goods it had an advantage in producing over other countries. Free trade affects workforce education because displaced workers will need retraining in order to compete for employment. And, free trade agreements result in a demand for workers in industries that have a rise in sales.
4. Global Economy – Because of the international economic competition among nations, the sociology of work has become internationalized with impacts of the economic and political events causing a restructuring of the world’s economy. Countries that had stable work ethics have to deal with embracing the new technologies and work identities that come with the world economy.
5. Downsizing & Reorganization – Many jobs have been reconfigured due to reductions in mid-level management. The changes have affected the organizational structures of work from a pyramidal, centralized hierarchical structure to a flattened, decentralized structure. This has caused a work environment consisting of teams and individuals who are solving more than one type of problem versus a hierarchy where individuals are specialized in only one area.
Conclusion
This paper covers only a small portion of the ideas discussed in class. But they are all fundamental in understanding the foundations of workforce education. While pursuing this degree I have learned about different theories relating to workforce education and development. These theories have demonstrated that training is a very important part of the workforce. Without education and training, the workforce would be effected negatively.
