Imaginary STEM labor shortage
The only thing worse than training employees and losing them is not training employees and keeping them. Zig Ziglar Back when the economy wasn’t in the dumpster, I was talking to a friend who works at one of those Internet (with a capital I) companies. He was complaining about their inability to find people with the right qualifications. After spending time talking with him, I ascertained that what his company really wanted was for someone in the same position at a different company to be laid off so that they could hire them. His company had a very exacting list of qualifications and wasn’t willing to train any potential employees. They wanted someone off the shelf, so to speak, and weren’t going to take anyone without those qualifications. On the other hand, they would wait months rather than train the employees themselves. It didn’t make much sense to me at the time. FrauTech has…
Green (card) with envy
The US Congress is looking at immigration reform, specifically questioning how to deal with the H1-B visa issue. For those who aren’t familiar with the system, the H1-B visa classification is meant to employ immigrants who have attained at least a bachelor’s degree and work in an area that requires highly specific skills. There is a cap on the number of visas granted, but there are exemptions to the cap for those who have a master’s degree and above, as well as those who work at (but not for) a university. When someone comes to the US on an H1-B, they can also simultaneously apply for residency (i.e. a green card), something not allowed on most other visas. There are a number of problems with the program. Specifically, H1-B visas are often tied to the employer because the employer applies for and pays the costs of the visa on…