Walmart offers job training via DPS - activist asks whether students are being trained as "subservie

[Bozita]

Source: Detroit Free Press

POSTED: 3:48 P.M. FEB. 11, 2010
Walmart offers job training via DPS
But one activist asks whether students are being trained as "subservient workers"
BY CHASTITY PRATT DAWSEY
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER


The Detroit Public Schools have teamed up with Walmart Stores to provide job training and entry-level, afterschool jobs to students at four high schools.

-snip-

Students will get 11 weeks of job-readiness training during the school day and 10 high school credits for the class and work experience.

Sean Vann, principal at Douglass, said 30 students at that school will get jobs at Walmart. He said the program will allow students an opportunity to earn money and to be exposed to people from different cultures - since all of the stores are in the suburbs.

-snip=

“They’re going to train students to be subservient workers,” she said. “This is not why parents send them to school, to learn how to work for Walmart.”

Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/20100211/NEWS01/100211049/1319/-Walmart-offers-job-training-via-DPS

[Just-plain-Kathy]

1. Wow, Walmart found a way to train their employees on the taxpayers dime.

:grr:

[Moosepoop]

2. I don't think the wages paid come from the school or taxes.

If this program is anything like what was known as "co-op" back in my high school days, the company pays the workers their wages just like any of their other employees. The school offers the program, any company is free to participate with it or not. Participation means reporting to the school on the student's work attendance and performance, so the school can grade accordingly on it.

I have a lot of problems with Wal-Mart, but there isn't enough info in this article to make me jump to any conclusions on the program itself or Wal-Mart's commitment to hire 30 students from it.

[No Elephants]

30. This is nothing like your description of your high school "co-op" program.

The OP says this is Wal-Mart partnering with four Detroit schools on training (in school by....? at the expense of....?) followed by an after school job at Wal-Mart (and only Wal_mart). For the class work and the job, a kid will earn us school credits.

This is not a program in which any company can participate.

I agree that the story does not tell us enough to know whether we can rightfully be incensed at Wal-Mart, though.

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

3. ah, the low standards of public education

I deal with the results of these types of decisions every day.

[proudohioan]

4. You know, coming from Wal-mart..........

my skeptical side wants to come out and play.

Really, Wal-mart seems to be all about "the bottom line", and I can't help but think that any benefit provided by Wal-mart would be repaid by at least the initial investment amount in tax credits and incentives. Welfare to work tax credit comes to mind in this case; are the schools in question inner-city schools where the students would be most likely to come from families on public assistance? An employer can get up to $9000 per employee for hiring people in specific target groups.
I wonder if this is one of the reasons for Wal-mart's seeming social conscience?

Just wondering......

[Fire1]

7. You got it! One of the highest unemployment and poverty rates

in the country. You can see why, of course. Automotive industry.

[proudohioan]

8. Yeah, bastards!!!!!

You know they wouldn't be creating this "wonderful opportunity" in places like Grosse Point....

BTW, is Grosse Point still upper crust?

t.

[Fire1]

11. Pretty much but not so much in the "Park." They're not

redlining as much in the area closest to Detroit. But still upper crust in the Farms and on the lake.

[formercia]

19. I worked for a company like that

They would get credit from the State for 'training', so their actual cost per hour for the 'trainees' was only a fraction of minimum wage. When the 90 day training period ended, they would fire the lot and hire a new group. I had to fight, tooth and nail to keep one trainee that was highly skilled and loved his job. They did not want to make permanent hires because of the cost. They finally relented. He was forever grateful.

When the tax breaks ran out, the company stripped the building of anything of value and abandoned it. The Borg.

[proudohioan]

20. Yeah, there's your "Free Market" at work.........

and places like that are always the ones screaming about "big, bad gubmint". And the first to lay-off, cut wages/hours and outsource to stay "competitive".

Truly reprehensible.


AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!

:banghead:

[formercia]

21. 'Free Market' is not the word for it.

They owned plants all over the World. Each plant had to bid against the others for a contract. The only way we could compete was in 'productivity.'

In other words, we had to work our asses off. Every part had a bar code, and when the worker handled that part, they had to scan it into the database. At the end of the shift, he would print out who did what and how much. Every Shift, the Grim Reaper would come around and tap someone on the shoulder and escort them out the door. The only difference between that and Auschwitz was the lack of a gas chamber on the other side.

The owner learned his trade Working for Werner VonBraun, The guy who built V2s with slave labor in tunnels.

[proudohioan]

22. You know, if that were my job....

I might actually LOOK FORWARD to a gas chamber at the end the day!

Whew, what a fucked up world we live in! Sorry you had to work in a place like that; hope it's gotten better for you!

t.

[formercia]

23. I can't complain, thanks.

It's always easier when you get to the other side.

..but I can kvetch pretty good.

[Beavker]

5. Isn't Walmart Indoctrinating our kids?

It's okay if it's a money whoring corporation...Stay out of our schools. Go to a private school and do this.

[pattmarty]

6. Look, we all may be working for Wal mart (or almost the same.......

............thing one of its suppliers) sooner than later. We already are a "service" economy. You'll have good paying "Wall st" type jobs, and Mcjobs.

[Dappleganger]

9. Since our retirement is wiped out, we'll probably end up as greeters.

If things don't start picking up WRT to the economy, that is.

[proudohioan]

10. Just hope like hell that we don't get trampled to death

come Black Friday..........


:evilgrin:

[Dappleganger]

12. Dear Lord, that's not the way I wanna go. nt

[proudohioan]

27. And I don't want to see you go that way, either...

I certainly hope that things pick up for you and hubby and that you NEVER have to resort to being Wal-mart greeters!

Best of luck,
t.

:)

[madrchsod]

13. back in the olden days of the 50 and 60`s

my high school placed "business class" kids with various businesses around town.some of my classmates ended up working all their lives at the same business.

we were`t indoctrinated into the "walmart experience"

[jaysunb]

14. Yes

and those SAME business's that wooed us, were the backbone of our school boards. It was through their tax dollars and partnerships that workers were trained to work AND earn our own money.
It was a GOOD thing.
It built a middle class in America.

I'm not a fan of Walmart, but they are doing the right thing.

[Alcibiades]

15. That's the difference

Companies used to want to have folks make a career of it. Wal-Mart has little room for career employees: they want chattel.

[defendandprotect]

16. Let's get corporations back to "on the job training" -- and cut out all this corp crap --!!!

[D-Lee]

17. Remember Detroit has 50% unemployment

As much as I dislike Walmart, I'm not sure this program is a bad idea.

[eilen]

18. I would have no objection if it were an after-school program

Honestly, these kids needs to learn academics during the school day, that is why we pay school taxes. We want an informed, educated citizenry.

[tonysam]

25. It is when adults could be working in those stores

During a good economy, not such a terrible idea, but not now.

[tonysam]

24. All of these unemployed adults out here, and Wal-Mart decides

to go on the cheap.

Also remember the Walton family members are among the "venture philanthropists" out to destroy public education in this country.

[fascisthunter]

26. there's a family business I'd like to see fail

[Arkana]

28. If WalMart wasn't doing this during the fucking school day,

I'd be better with it.

But they are serving no purpose yanking students out of school to teach them to be drones at one of Sam's bigassed superstores.

[eppur_se_muova]

29. I misread that as "subversive" in the OP ...

and I couldn't help thinking "You know, that might not be so bad ..." :evilgrin:

I suppose you could expect WalMart to *inspire* them to subversion, even if it doesn't instruct them in its practice.

[No Elephants]

31. "to be exposed to people from different cultures - since all of the stores are in the suburbs."

What in blazes does that mean? No diversity in the city, only in the suburbs?

[KittyWampus]

32. Job Readiness Skills is part of solving poverty. Part of the problem here is DU'ers can't imagine

not knowing how to dress in clean clothes and show up on time for an interview, how to comport oneself at that interview, how to get to a job once you land it etc etc etc.

Job Readiness Skills are important to many disadvantaged youth and adults who never learned those basic soft skills.

Before you even learn whatever technical skills are necessary for ANY job, first you have to know how to get that job and keep it.

I actually posted the syllabus from a Job Readiness course but fuck it. Why post it again.

This thread= yet another prime example of DU'ers not knowing what they are even talking about.