Worker Retraining, in the the New Age

Yesterday during my quest to support the family eating habit (ie- job hunting), I researched training benefits under the state Employment Security Dept. For laid-off workers such as myself, if one's occupation title is "in decline" and if the job one hopes to be trained for is "in demand," the state may provide some unemployment insurance extension benefits during training.

The training providers must be on the Eligible Training Provider list. An alternative for those who do not qualify for an extra 26 weeks of benefits is an exemption to the UI requirement regarding job search activities. If you're training with one of these Commisioner Approved eligible providers and passing, you can continue to receive UI checks without making employer contacts, until your claim benefits run out.

That's why I was surprised to see the following in the list of choices.

The state might help you become a dealer: try the BLACKJACK ACADEMY OF GAMING in Burien or the VEGAS GAMING SCHOOL. Gotta know when to hold 'em...

How about Duvall's EARTHWALK SCHOOL OF ENERGY HEALING? Must be in demand, right? Their program is called "Energy Therapy." Maybe students go to work for Seattle City Light?

I thought this was interesting... double-standards, one for majority religions, another for new age: BENNETT/STELLAR "UNIVERSITY" OF NLP & HYPNOTHERAPY. They have courses in "Past Life Regression." Here's their description:

A past life regression allows a client to move through time to clear emotional or physical traumas, find hidden talents, discover spiritual gifts, and create a wonderful future.... Our special type of regression also includes contact with spirit guides, angels, and/or our higher self to receive spiritual guidance regarding the current life circumstances.

Hmm... whether or not you believe in this, you have to admit it's hardly scientific or clinical training. It's religious instruction.

On the list of eligible training programs, none are for in-demand ministry-related positions (e.g., youth program director, crisis counselor), by law. You may recall the case of Joshua Davey, and his battle to end state constitutional and statutory discrimination on use of state money to fund religious instruction, which lost in the Supreme Court. But if you want to learn feng shui...

Putting that aside for a moment, what's on the other end of this state-vouchsafed hypnotherapy training? Hypnotherapists are self-employed. There is no demonstrable demand for positions waiting to be filled by current employers. Anyone completing this course must hang out a shingle, and claw for business like any entrepreneur. Is this a good direction to send displaced workers desperate to pay the bills? (Note: only 30 took this course under this state program last year).

Surely there will be licensure requirements, a professional, independent credentialling board of review, a code of ethics, some kind of oversight? Heh. At least on paper, it's easier to become and remain a hypnotherapist-- ostensibly a counseling field-- than it is to become a school crossing guard. The only state requirement other than paid registration before you hang out a hypnotherapist shingle is an AIDS awareness class. As one professional hypnotist told me: "You don't even have to know how to spell it."

He also informed me, after I asked why hypnotherapists haven't united to lobby for stricter standards on those entering the profession:

Brian,
What you describe would be in the economic interests of those who are already hypnotherapists. It would not necessarily be in the best interests of the public. There is little evidence that increasing levels of education and hours of training results in better therapists. In fact, much of the literature I've seen indicates that level of education and effectiveness of counseling (as rated by clients) are not strongly correlated positively or negatively. Other factors are much more important. I've based my course on, as far as I can determine, the factors that actually DO go in to helping someone be effective.

He sells a home-study course that leads to certification. I don't know whether you actually have to hypnotize anyone to get that certificate. (You need over 1500 hours of training to become a hairstylist).

Well. Reiki practitioner "massage" training is offered by many providers on the ETP list. This despite much evidence that Reiki's healing touch purports to be supernatural in nature, and has no scientific provenance. Still no program for televangelist faith healers, although that pays better....

The one school that came up under the "Misc" selection (miscellaneous): BODYMIND ACADEMY in Kirkland. The commissioner-approved eligible training program? "Breath Work Practitioner, Expressive Arts Practitioner."

Your guess is as good as mine.

And from the "How bad can the economy be if there's a demand market for this?" department: NORTHWEST SCHOOL OF ANIMAL MASSAGE in Redmond.

I have a hard time believing most of these are in-demand as required. And I have a harder time understanding the strict rules thwarting many valuable ministry-related training programs, but allowing for future casino dealers or getting in healing touch with spirit guides.

Side note: don't search for a linguistics program provider. Of all things, they misspelled it as "Linguitstics."

Posted by Brian Crouch at January 18, 2006 07:03 PM | Email This