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U.S. Workers Too Uneducated to Build Cars?
From Metafilter: "Toyota announced it will build a new car factory in Woodstock, Ontario, even though several US states offered greater subsidies and tax breaks to the company. The reason?
"[M]uch of that extra money would have been eaten away by higher training costs than are necessary for the Woodstock project... Nissan and Honda have encountered difficulties getting new plants up to full production in recent years in Mississippi and Alabama due to an untrained - and often illiterate - workforce. In Alabama, trainers had to use 'pictorials' to teach some illiterate workers how to use high-tech plant equipment.
"(Also a contributing factor -- Canada's national health service, which apparently drives down the overall cost of each individual worker.)"
Posted by carrie on 07/04/2005 | Permalink
Comments
Hello? Mississippi and Alabama? I hate to invoke stereotypes, but these are not exactly places that are known for producing highly educated people. Seems like there are plenty of other places in the U.S. that could staff an automobile plant. But the national healthcare thing, well that's a whole other story...
Posted by: Shawn | Jul 4, 2005 4:28:10 PM
It would surprise me if much of the lower paid workforce in MS and AL spoke English. It's heavy Spanish there now.
I'd say one factor in helping to keep the workers in the SE US "untrained - and often illiterate" is that those states have already hocked their rear ends to the max on subsidies and tax breaks to keep the plants they do have. There's no money around to educate anybody.
The old have/have-not gap just keeps a growin'.
Posted by: chakmool | Jul 4, 2005 11:43:04 PM
