Jobs for unskilled likely to dwindle

WINDSOR — Eastman Kodak Co.˜s human-resources director, Dean Moore, is quick to praise Northern Colorado˜s education system as generally producing graduates with pretty good skills for today˜s manufacturer, but he˜s concerned about the students who drop out."I worry about them, because the number of jobs that are going to be available in this country for unskilled labor, given the labor rate differential between the U.S. and some other foreign countries, is going to diminish in the next five or 10 years," he said. "I don˜t know what happens to the kids who drop out of school and don˜t have a good set of skills. I just don˜t know where they˜re going to end up."
Kodak uses a prescreening process to ensure that its entry-level employees have good basic job skills, and Moore said the company generally is happy with the type of people it has been able to attract. But he fears that today˜s dropouts won˜t begin to have the skills they will need to land a job tomorrow, and his message to would-be dropouts is simple: Don˜t drop out.
"For us at Kodak, if you can˜t enter information into a computer, either numbers or words, and if you can˜t stand up in front of a group and write some information on a chart paper, we probably don˜t have a job for you, and I don˜t know who does," he said.Kodak requires job applicants to provide education records
Kodak Colorado Division, a unit of the Eastman Kodak Co., is implementing changes in how the company hires entry-level workers. Beginning Jan. 1, Kodak requires that all prospective employees seeking entry-level positions provide records of education received during the past five years.
"We are confident that this initiative will help provide access to highly qualified candidates who meet the requirements of Kodak, our customers, and our suppliers," said John Saurer, general manager and vice president of Kodak Colorado Division.
Kodak employs 2,100 at its plant in Windsor. Individuals interested in entry-level employment at the plant should call (970) 686-7611. They will receive information on how to register for a prehire test by choosing the "Manufacturing Opportunities" option.