January 20, 2012 | 8:00 AM | By

Job Training and D.C. Unemployment By Race

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Patrick Madden, Race and Class, Unemployment

WAMU 88.5′s Patrick Madden has been reporting on the ineffectiveness of past D.C. job training practices and changes the city is making to how it prepares residents for jobs. His investigation revealed that much of job training money went to training people to be bus drivers and Metro train operators. But such training programs haven’t resulted in graduates getting jobs.

The debate over job training has particular relevance for D.C.’s black and Hispanic communities. This chart shows 2010 D.C. unemployment rates by race, with the numbers coming courtesy of the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics [PDF]:

D.C. Unemployment By Race (2010)

 

DCentric has previously explored the causes behind D.C.’s unemployment disparities. One major reason is the mismatch between the skills people have and those required by District jobs. For instance, unemployment is at 25 percent in Ward 8, where more than 20 percent of residents lack a high school diploma. Without effective job training, can that unemployment number go down by very much?

  • Sylence

    lol  Duh.

  • Anonymous

    Where is the crime factor? Companies shouldn’t hire violent criminals. People shouldn’t have to go to work being concerned about being attacked of some underdeveloped child. That can’t control it’s emotions.