> The strategy you're advocating sounds like a very long runway before takeoff.

It's on-the-job training. Whether it happens quickly depends on the industry.

And the current employment problem doesn't revolve about well spoken people who regularly read tech blogs. The unemployed are disproportionately young, make, and under-educated. I'm saying a feasible way to get the retrained is to make it easier for them to find an occupation in booming industries.

We need to get the point where employers can think, "Why not? Let's give him a shot and ramp up his salary if he's any good." when an unproven young guy applies for a job. Right now, that doesn't make any sense because hiring him is too expensive. So you get situations where they give fewer hours to avoid providing expensive benefits, etc.

I think you do have something there, but that only works if the manager has discretion to do so. For instance, at a mom & pop shop that's clearly possible. However, if wages are pegged by HQ and there aren't slots to move someone up, this sounds like a waste of time. The employee is only getting the pay and time spent flipping burgers out of it.