Sadly, this is all too common across all industries. Employers are focused on the "sales" bottom line and profit margins, as demanded by their shareholders. Training has always been seen as an expense and not as an investment. We all know and recognize there will be greater profits and better production when appropriate training is provided. However, it's also our fault as consumers by continuing to put up with poorly trained associates (not a fault of their own); instead a fault of their employers!!!

I work for an organization that has been providing care for individuals with developmental disabilities for 120 years. They are perpetually short-handed. It seems that part of the problem is the different work ethic of the younger generation, which is mainly the age group the company attracts. Not only is it understaffed, but also inadequately supervised. With three shifts and a manager available basically for only ONE of the shifts PART of the time, very little training gets accomplished for new employees. And once they learn bad habits, they are rarely corrected. It provides lots of frustration for the more mature employees.

Marc,

I was recently hired on and the manager admitted to me on the second day that she has "no idea how to train you". lol - at least she is honest and I am fortunate to have really nice co-workers that are helping me learn their systems, processes etc. I'm in week 2, so guess I'll see how it works out.

They want people to be "self-starters" and dealing with this is often a test to see how you handle stress and how quickly you learn. Sort of like a "sink or swim" proposition. It isn't fair, but most companies have inadequate training procedures.

Employers, when hiring new employees, feel that they have hired the person who does not need further training. This is a misconception employers have about who they hire. New hires don't have the job skills that is needed especially ones with little job experience in their past. Shame on employers who think this.

Not everyone has the gift of teaching, or empathy as to what someone needs to feel comfortable in doing their job well - I think you need both to really know how to prepare a person rather than just throwing them in the water to sink or swim, plus you have to care about your company and your customers enough to provide them with someone who can properly serve them. Seems like someone in the chain of command is dropping the ball.

Depending on the industry and position, training a new employee can cost 1-2 times their annual salary or more for very specialized skill sets. Every employer will have a different answer - good, bad or ugly. Very likely (especially for high turnover positions) employers are trying to keep down operating costs and are pushing responsibility (and blame) on to the new employees.

Every contract I get, I am expected to know the most up-to-date, cutting edge technologies, and "mentor" younger engineers. I am also called upon to quickly "get up to speed" on projects that have been ongoing for weeks or months. There are no jobs available for anyone behind the times, expecting a reasonable pace, unable to juggle many tasks simultaneously, unwilling to be entertaining, humorous, patient, compliant, sociable, creative, ingenious, flexible, optimistic, and any other positive personality trait you can think of. All of this is DEFICIENT in the people I work for - otherwise, they would not be looking to hire someone.

Companies should reconsider the importance of employe training. Training inspires confidence and achievement in employees which leads empowerment and a sense of ownership.

This is why prior experience is such a big deal and applicants get turned away so quickly. Training budget cuts leads to fewer entry level opportunities and more challenges for inexperienced workers.