We're from the government . . . .

John Stossel recounts the experiences of his intern looking for a job by way of government-funded jobs programs, which turn out to be centers for signing up for unemployment benefits.  Unjob programs, except for the public employees drawing checks for running the programs.

Has anyone here ever gotten a job through a government jobs program?  Or known anyone who did?

8 comments:

William said...

Nope. I tried to use one in late 2001/early 2002. No joy. I found one on my own in spite of using all the government databases, job fairs, etc... For skilled help they were simply a distraction and we were not their area of competence. I had every opportunity to sign up for all sorts of assistance programs and spent a bunch of time waiting for "employment counselors" who had notably less of an idea about my skill set niche and the local economy (Their purported specialty and reason for being there) than I did. They did provide access to jobs databases that were less than useless for skilled professionals or even skilled craftsmen. They also offered a pretty nice retraining program that would have helped had I been interested in career field changes. Even the Vet counselors were amazingly unhelpful, though they were professional and friendly.

William sends.

bthun said...

"Has anyone here ever gotten a job through a government jobs program? Or known anyone who did? "

No and no.

After my separation from the Navy back in the Palaeolithic Age, I recall attempting to make use of the hire a vet Fed jobs programs, nothing panned out.

Looking back, I'd say that is probably a good thing.

Anonymous said...

No and no. I've been urged to apply for some fed jobs, but since I'm not a veteran, not currently a fed employee, and in one case not the individual that the position had been created for, it did not pan out.

LittleRed1

Grim said...

My grandfather worked for the WPA back in the 1930s. And I worked on a documentary about a CCC camp near Savannah (rebuilt FT Pulaski, actually), so I met a bunch of those guys. They were big fans of the program, which they'd gotten into as teenagers and which taught them a bunch of useful skills (and also accustomed them to Army life, which was helpful since they all ended up in WWII).

My grandfather, however, was not a big fan of the WPA. He referred to it as "We Piddle Around."

james said...

No and yes, but it didn't last. Whether that was because of the handicaps (quite real, unfortunately) or because the economy was tanking I don't know.

Miss Ladybug said...

The fiance worked with the Texas Workforce Commission while he was on unemployment after being laid off. I don't think any of the jobs they sent him were a good match for him. He ended up getting a job at Home Depot after I saw a banner hanging on the outside of "our" store for which he applied online. They are impressed with his work ethic and that he does his job well (knowledge and interactions with customers) and inquired about his interest in pursuing a career (as opposed to just working part-time while he is going back to school). Getting your foot in the door these days is the hard part. Once you get there, it's up to you... He - like many others - was hired as a seasonal worker. A lot of those others who didn't have the "right attitude" weren't "invited" to stick around after the season was over...

Bob said...

I got a temp job with UPS one Christmas. I think i netted all of $600.

Gringo said...

When I was a college student I got a dishwashing job through the local state employment office. Does that count?