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JamesMichael's comments:
on Creating Sustainable Jobs
The days of wine and roses are gone. Few companies today are investing in their employee's skill set. Many companies already allow employees an affordable on-site daycare facility (US Land Management, SW 1st & Oak. Big American companies have been giving away high end technology in manufacturing and quality stuff in big stuff boxes for decades.
Management will often hire recent college graduates as interns to fill various positions. This is good for all concerned where the positions require individuals who can follow direction, learn, and work towards an intended end goal, which may or/not have been disclosed at the onset of the position being filled. Such individuals normally possess the academic achievements to meet the minimum requirements of a position, and they are paid appropriate lower wages /or salaries due to their lack experience within the respective field for which they have been slotted. They may even work in an area that is far removed from their academic achievements. Position of this type were originally designed to educated the individual within the employee's specific discipline, which may also be in a cooperative agreement with the employee's educational institution. This dates back to followers of the great thinkers.
Most of the employees in these positions learn, gain more experience, and may become educated as to the policies, procedures, and ways of the organization. As they become more productive, company management may bring the intern on as a full employee and into a more responsible position to reap an income level more in line with their newly acquired abilities. This methodology is also utilized when evaluating contract employees for selection as candidates for direct positions.
Great value in real world experience is lost due to in appropriately delivered pink slips under the pretense of cost savings. It is far too often however, that management demonstrates that it is the best interest of the organization to terminate experienced employees from existing positions and fill those vacancies with recent college graduates in order to cut costs. As an incentive, some companies will offer bonuses to management for such cost saving measures without sufficiently evaluating of those decisions.
These decisions and such bonus rewards are short sighted either by design or incompetence, for the most part, as they allow only for short run cut cost savings, while generating greater costs for the company in the long run. Those bonuses are rarely recovered, if ever, to the joy of the recipients. Great motivation, eah?
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on Gadgets, Gizmos & Grey Matter
Public libraries are just that: public. Restrictions to the Internet seem to have (and rightly so) no place in those environments. Schools and home environments are not the same. The concerns there are for the safety of the students (age dependent). I hear of no responsible parent or teacher countering this notion (from my observation and opinion only).
I have taught as a teacher in Honolulu, 4-6 grade fundamentals of computer science, 11-16 year old gifted student (electronics, physics, and math), 16-22 year olds at Hawaii Job Corp, and honored high school students and adults at a community college (computer science and word processing). I believe that student protection and safety is paramount, beyond teaching subject matter.
At one time, I saw a significant philosophical difference between the teaching faculty and the school administration. Today I see another body of concern that has impacted the former two bodies and the communities. The area school boards are planning to make major boundary decisions that may adversely affect our public schools.
P.S. The VA has been very responsive to the needs of all my fell veterans, and has helped me to survive cancer. They have earned my respect, admiration, support, and recommendations.
posted 2 years, 4 months ago
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on Gadgets, Gizmos & Grey Matter
I really wanted to post my comment and question earlier, while the conversation was still active, but was interrupted by a call from the VA.
My concern is with the security and safety of children using these devices. As you are a ware, there are individuals and institutions that will take what ever measures are required to benefit their deep pockets through anyone available. From the classroom and home computer, access can be parentally controlled to some extent to safeguard the younger members.
What methods are available to parents and teachers to limit web access (within reason, of course) so as to protect the students and children?
Please forward any cognizant response via e-mail. It would be nice to have the response shared with the public as well, if possible.
posted 2 years, 4 months ago
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