Unemployment compensation and training for a new job

Unemployment like most of the systems in this country is biased, there are people in certain professions who lose their job and are eligible for training while others are not. (Seems like workers who come from industries that have unions seem to qualify for training) I find it unfair and biased and I think either everyone should get training or no one should get training. We all work and pay taxes why should one group get better unemployment benefits than another.

you have to sign up for a presentation at the DUA (there are waiting lists for the sessions) where they explain the programs & give you a test (grammar, web skills, math). then you meet one on one with them & must show many documents such as your job log with list of places you've applied every week (to prove you REALLY can't find work), acceptance letter from an approved program, etc, etc. they're strict about who gets paid training. usually only the poorest of the poor, they basically said. if you graduated college you can forget it, they basically said.

I went to the career center in Woburn filled out all the paper work
wrote a letter of justification sent it all in and never heard back from them.
Finally when I got in touch with them it was too late. You have to
apply before a certain time frame. Don't waste your time
they won't help you.

Well, the lottery could not pay for school- just ask the good people of Rhode Island. FYI: installation of the lottery was promised to pay for all future schools costs. (It did not.)

Take out a loan if you need to pay for additional training or schooling - don't rely on the government for it.

Take out a loan? If I could afford a loan I wouldn't be looking to upgrade my skills so I could get a job. You must be high

hey thegreatsock, what kind of advice is that? take out a loan? in this economy? i got a kid already in college who saw their financial aid cut b/c the banks aren't loaning the way they used to. the last (and worse) advice to give anyone now is get into more debt. plus, your point about relying on the govt: student loans are already govt-backed. why bottow to pay back when the same source may give you a grant b/c you're unemployed? you need to get up to speed with today's reality.

When I was laid off 3 years ago I was able to get the extra 18 weeks of unemployment and the state also paid for a certificate program at one of the state schools. I had to pay for books but they paid tuition. I had to apply by a certain week (It might be week 10 or something like that) and it had to be an approved program that could be completed within one year. I had to research 3 schools to prove that was the right program for me. You also had to be a full time student. I worked with the office in Lowell and they were great with giving me information. I'm not sure if things are different now but that's my story.

The peron said "if I were to be laid off" so that means they are still working. Why not start picking up some new skills now to better position yourself in case you are laid off in the future. Medical billing or coding could probably be done part time. Why should the government (the rest of us) pay for you? We are in enough debt already. Unemployment is meant to keep you going while you look for a new job., if one comes up what would you say, "no, I can't take it I'm in school? "

Student loands are very low cost and can can be deferred if the loan applicant is unemployed. They are designed to help people who don't have enough money to pay for school and/or cannot qualify to get other types of loans due to low/no income. So greatsock's advice is reasonbaly sound...except for the part about not relying on the government (many student loans are underwritten by the government...)

Why is it ok with the right wingers to spend hundreds of milions and give to Iragis to rebuild their economy and train them, but as soon as an unemployed American gets assistance from our government they are treated like slackers looking to cheat the system?

response to Denise... money spent educating people seems a FAR better use of taxpayer's money than simply paying people to sit at home endlessly sifting through newspapers and internet sites hoping to find an job opening in something they have been laid off from, especially currently. vast numbers of people who have been laid off are not going to find a replacement job anytime soon, this is why unemployment has been extended. seems pretty obvious to me that a far more cost effective solution is to help those of us who have been laid off to acquire NEW skills, thus enhancing the overall pool of prospective employees. you final statement about the rest of us paying for this person is just plain silly, we are ALREADY paying for someone on unemployment, for gods sake why not make the money work for us by producing a better employee.