Mayor Fenty’s revised budget cuts funding for adult job training by $6.3 million, one of the biggest program reductions in the $188 million gap-closing proposal.
It’s a startling number for several reasons.
At the beginning of this year, the District hit a record-setting unemployment rate of 12 percent, and joblessness reached even higher levels in certain neighborhoods. More than one out of every four Ward 8 residents looking for work was unemployed, according to DC government data.
Yet unlike other cities and states battered by the recession, the total number of jobs in DC is actually growing; 20,000 jobs were added over the last year. The problem is that DC residents are not getting many of these jobs, because they do not have the training and skills needed. Instead, many of these jobs go to residents of Virginia and Maryland, and their communities benefit from the boost in economic security, income taxes, and overall prosperity.
The job training reflects some money budget for last year ‘ that the Fenty administration did not spend ‘ plus funds appropriated for this year. In both cases, the monies were to be distributed through a competitive bid process to organizations that would train residents for high-demand jobs.
It’s unclear why the job training dollars weren’t spent last year, and it highlights an immediate need to hold the District’s Department of Employment Services to a greater standard of transparency and accountability in spending its workforce development dollars because these funds certainly can be put to good use.
DC faces a budget gap, but it faces a skills gap as well. Unless we help residents in need of skills get prepared for the jobs available, we will lose out on employment, revenue, and overall prosperity.
