Marie Suze Camelien of Dorchester started her career in health care as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at Hebrew Senior Life (HSL). As anyone who has every spent time in a long-term care facility knows, CNAs are the lynchpin of this critically important and growing segment of our health-care delivery system. Their daily work with patients is extremely demanding, both physically and emotionally, as they strive to create a caring environment for our family members who are recovering from illness, or may be in a facility as their final home. Yet, however much we may value the care they provide for our vulnerable family members, as a society, we don’t typically demonstrate that value in a meaningful way. CNAs work long hours for low pay, and have few opportunities to move up into the more highly compensated health care occupations.

So, when Marie Suze Camelien marched down the aisle, and was pinned as a Licensed Practical Nurse, along with eight of her colleagues, it should come as no surprise, that there were many tears of joy in the Cable Synagogue at Hebrew Senior Life. Becoming a nurse requires a college degree, and for the graduates of this third class of HSL CNAs, that required countless hours of preparation, study, tests, while working and managing family responsibilities.

Juana Garcia, also a CNA, is a member of the HSL Career Development Class, which is helping HSL employees improve their English and academic skills, both to improve their abilities to do their jobs well, and to prepare for further education. She spoke for her twenty-five class-mates when she talked about how seeing the nursing graduates inspires her to work hard so that she too can walk down the aisle and become a nurse in the future.

Creating opportunity like this does not come easily. In fact as several speakers at the graduation noted, it takes a village, and then some. HSL, led by its CEO Len Fishman, is very serious about quality care and opportunities for their employees. They and their supporters have invested thousands of dollars in their workforce development programs, provide release time for their students, transportation to Mass Bay Community College, and un-told amounts of support for the employee/students. They have set a very high bar, and an outstanding example for other major employers in long-term care and beyond. JVS is one of HSL’s education partners, and our instructors and coaches are totally dedicated to the success of the HSL students, and deeply committed to the partnership with HSL. Mass Bay Community College has made numerous adjustments to its programs to make them work for the working adults at HSL. And, of course the families of the graduates are their most important support network. All of this support, investment, hard work, and vision is necessary to create opportunity, and no one involved would doubt that is worth it.

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Massachusetts faces its worst job market in decades, yet a major hospital in the Boston area can’t find physical therapists for its new womens’ health program. What’s wrong with this picture? Physical therapists, like radiological technicians, auto mechanics, and legal secretaries are middle-skill jobs. Almost half of the jobs in Massachusetts are middle-skill jobs, which require more than a high school diploma, but less than a four-year degree. Yet, Massachusetts, like many states, does not have the educational and training infrastructure in place to meet the middle skill job demands, today, or into the future. “Skills 2 Compete Massachusetts” is part of a national campaign to ensure that every adult should have access to at least two years of education or training past high school so they have the credential they need to fill middle skill jobs, that provide good, family sustaining wages. Industry organizations, employers, community organizations, labor unions, foundations, and many others have signed on to the campaign.

Jerry Rubin

In his recent New York Times Article, Peter Goodman reported that the difficulties faced by some recent graduates of training programs “…has intensified skepticism about training as a cure for unemployment”. It certainly should, since if there is actually anyone who believes that training can cure unemployment, they are woefully mis-guided. Those who advocate human capital development, whether it is job training, higher education, or on-the-job experience and training - and that would include most economists- understand that education and skill development are crucial, both to individual economic success, and the competitiveness of companies, regions and nations. Training is not typically a job creator, but a job enabler.

I have never heard anyone suggest that post-secondary education, or K-12, for that matter can cure unemployment, yet I can’t imagine the New York Times suggesting that students stay away from school in a deep recession. In fact, colleges and graduate schools are overwhelmed with applicants, who, in the face of a very tough job market, are choosing to increase their marketable skills, in the hope that they will be more attractive in this tough job market, and better positioned when jobs start coming back. That is precisely what thousands of adults are doing by signing up for skills training programs, community college certificate programs, and other forms of job training.

The second question that Goodman raises, and a far more reasonable one, is whether or not all training programs are effective. The answer to that question is very likely no. Just as all college majors do not create equal returns in the labor market, and all proprietary schools do not have a great job placement record, not all job training programs are equally effective. The recently released “gold-standard”, random assignment study by Public/Private Ventures of three industry-focused, comprehensive training programs clearly demonstrates that well-designed job training will generate huge returns for the participants, particularly in a robust job market. It is unfortunate that Goodman chose to mention this study only in passing. The three programs highlighted in the study, one of which is run by JVS, will not solve the unemployment crisis either. That is not what they were designed to do, and they cannot be judged by an un-achievable standard. Unfortunately, in the world of politics and public policy, this critical distinction will very likely be over-looked, and we may very well see some advocating against “wasting” resources on training. What a pity that would be.

Jerry Rubin

Can our “jobless recovery” be a silver lining for some? Katie Johnston Chase reported in the Boston Globe recently that some Massachusetts residents are turning their unemployment challenge into an opportunity by finding the career of their dreams, or starting their own business. We have certainly seen our share of such stories at JVS. Whether it’s the Career Moves client who shifted from private industry into a non-profit career, or the student of the JVS-CJP-Babson entrepreneurship program who recent launched a new home health care business www.LikeFamilyInc.com, many JVS clients have been able to leverage their transferable skills into new career or business opportunities. JVS instructors and counselors help their clients move beyond their previous careers, when it is clear that those jobs are not coming back, and use their talents and skills in new ways.

That said, for every example of turning adversity into opportunity, there are many others who have been forced to accept employment at reduced salaries, reduced hours, and lower levels of responsibility. This recession has forced many long-term unemployed to step backwards in their careers, and many others wishing they were even that lucky. And, unlike in past recessions, when thousands left Massachusetts for greener pastures, we have actually experienced less job loss than most other regions. So, we will continue to help our clients leverage their talents into new, and perhaps even greater opportunities whenever possible, help others survive, and continue to look forward to a true economic recovery.

Jerry Rubin

In a lengthy interview yesterday on “On Point Radio“, economic historian Niall Ferguson recently made a strong case for small business development as the key to job creation and economic recovery. He makes an important point, and JVS’s entrepreneurship programs are our contribution to this effort. Ferguson was making the case regarding economic recovery in the U.S., but earlier this Spring I had the privilege of seeing how small businesses are helping economic recovery in Ukraine. The micro-loan program of the Dnepropetrovsk Kehillah Project is one of many community development projects in Dnepropetrovsk that are helping to revitalize the economy, the city, and perhaps most incredibly, the Jewish community. Boston, through the Jewish Community Relations Council, Combined Jewish Philanthropies, and dozens of community volunteers and agencies, including JVS, has created a remarkable partnership with the Jewish community of Dnepropetrovsk. From state-of-the-art housing for the elderly, where there was none, to a womens’ health clinic, where there was none, to the micro-loan program, where there was none, the Kehllah Project has joined hands with the Jewish community of Dnepropetrovsk to build hope and a future.

During my visit I was able to see the successful businesses of two women micro-borrowers. Tatyana Etinburg and her husband borrowed just over $5,000 for 24 months to open the Milk Café, right next to the synagogue. The café, which now employees several other women, is the sole income for Tatyana’s family.

Eleanor Baraley, was an unemployed single parent with a disabled mother. She had a small clothing shop at one of the markets, but it was destroyed by a fire. She borrowed $3,125 for 12 months to move into a store in major shopping mall. She is importing clothing from Poland to sell to women in the Ukraine and doing a thriving business. There are nearly thirty other business women just like Tatyana and Eleanor who have received loans to start businesses to support their families, and hundreds of others who have received business planning advice and support for their start-ups. They, and the dozens of small businesses we have helped launch here in Boston, are making a very important contribution to community and economic revitalization.

Jerry Rubin

President Bill Clinton is often credited by observers on the left and right for significantly changing the rules of the nation’s welfare system, and strongly encouraging low-income recipients to go to work. The reforms certainly succeeded in reducing welfare rolls, though many thousands of individuals who moved from “welfare to work” remain in poverty despite working. With the significant increase in unemployment during the recent recession, many states saw their welfare rolls grow once again. Now, with the recession officially over, and some new jobs being added, this should be a time to once again see low-income individuals moving off of public assistance and into the labor market. Yet, many states, reeling from revenue declines and budget cuts, are making it much harder for low-income individuals to get to work. According to the New York Times, many states have cut child care subsidies that low-income women need in order to work.

Here in Massachusetts, the state senate’s budget reduced the Employment Services Program by nearly 40%. ESP is one of the few remaining programs that provide individuals on public assistance with many barriers to employment the opportunity to get training, placement and support services. JVS places over 70% of ESP clients in jobs, where they pay taxes and don’t draw down public assistance. Cuts to ESP, and other services like child-care subsidies, that help move people from welfare to work may help balance state budgets in the very short term, but they will cost taxpayers dearly very soon.

Jerry Rubin

I COULD not agree more with your editorial’s call for additional investment in higher education (“A ‘Vision Project’ for higher ed,’’ May 5). However, the Vision Project appears to miss a major gap in the Commonwealth’s higher educational system. Tens of thousands of low-skilled, low-wage adults want to attend college to access better jobs. But limited English skills and time, weak academic skills, and few financial resources mean they find it nearly impossible to get into and succeed in our community colleges, let alone our four-year institutions. Our adult education system focuses most resources on lower-level adult learners, leaving a huge gap between English and high school equivalency programs and college readiness. Several organizations like the Jewish Vocational Service run college “bridge’’ programs to help adult learners get into and succeed in college, but these are few and far between, and almost entirely privately funded. These efforts also need serious public investment, or the Commonwealth’s educational vision will leave thousands behind.

Jerry Rubin

Next Thursday, April 29, we will join with several hundred community and business leaders to celebrate “The Power of Community” at JVS’s annual Gala. As we begin to climb out of the worst recession and job market since JVS was founded in 1938, it is worth reflecting on what the power of community has meant over the past two years of economic crisis. JVS and Combined Jewish Philanthropies joined forces more than two years ago and promised to make certain that those in the Jewish community who were hit hard by the recession would have somewhere to turn. Since that time, hundreds of community volunteers have joined us as job networkers, mentors, teachers, coaches, donors, and more- helping us make good on that promise. This outpouring of support and the hard work of dozens of community professionals has helped thousands to gain the support, skills, contacts, and self-confidence to face these very tough times. That is the power of community.

This recession has also intensified trends in the job market that have been growing for more than a decade, making it increasingly difficult for many to earn a family supporting wage, and very challenging for those who have been out of the job hunt for a long time. Good jobs with good wages that don’t require some college are rapidly disappearing. Skill requirements for nearly all occupations are rising rapidly. Yet, for someone who has been out of school for many years, is working and raising a family, may not speak English as their primary language, and has limited financial resources, meeting this challenge is very, very difficult. Helping working adults get into and succeed in college also takes the power of community, and JVS’s partnership with Hebrew SeniorLife, this year’s Gala’s business honoree is a wonderful example. Hebrew SeniorLife, under the leadership of CEO Len Fishman, is deeply committed to giving their employees meaningful, accessible, and life-changing educational opportunities. This is no easy task, but HSL understands the power of community, and has partnered with Massachusetts Bay Community College and JVS to ensure that their employees have the support they need to be successful. HSL’s generous donors, including Burton and Gloria Rose have made it possible for their employees to learn on work time, travel at no cost to college classes, and receive the education and intensive coaching they need.

In challenging times it is easy to become cynical and cast blame. But it is also in such times that we see the real power of community. Let’s celebrate it.

Jerry Rubin

The Great Recession of 2008-2010 has rolled through nearly every segment of the workforce, hitting hard among the poor, and creating havoc even in well-to-do suburbs. But one group that has been hit particularly hard and has received little attention is recent college graduates. These young people, who followed the prescribed path to success by the thousands, often incurring thousands of dollars in debt for the promise of career success, have found themselves hitting the wall of the great recession. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, quoted in Don Peck’s recent Atlantic story, job offers to graduating seniors declined 21 percent last year and are expected to decline another 7 percent this year. Some observers have estimated that unemployment among recent college graduates may be as high as 50 percent. Despite some recent improvement in the job market, tens of thousands of new graduates will hit the streets this summer, adding significantly to the competition for too few jobs.

For those who are lucky enough to have familial resources to fall back on, moving back home is the immediate solution, and recent demographic data speaks to this growing trend. But, going home also can lead to disengagement from the job search and the social networking that is so crucial to getting a job in this very tough market. I have heard many stories of fretting parents watching their kids’ “failure to launch”, as they spend their time on-line or watching television. This generation of job-seekers has the advantage of great comfort with on-line networking and job search tools, but they may be less comfortable with accessing and tapping the extensive social networks in their family and community that require persistent, strategic, and often, person-to-person contact.

JVS is reaching out to these recent college graduates to help ease a growing crisis and will hold a young professionals networking event on April 14, 6:30 - 9:00 at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center in Cambridge. If you are a recent college grad, you should be there, and if you know someone who should be there, make sure they go.

Jerry Rubin