It's hard enough for employers to find workers to fill open jobs these days, but on top of it, many prospective hires are failing drug tests.
The Belden electric wire factory in Richmond, Ind., is taking a novel approach to both problems: It now offers drug treatment, paid for by the company, to job applicants who fail the drug screen. Those who complete treatment are also promised a job.
The pilot program, launched in February, is believed to be the first of its kind, and is an acknowledgement of both the severity of the drug problem, and the difficulty of finding qualified workers.
"If we did the same things as we did in the past, we weren't going to be successful in hiring the folks we needed," says Doug Brenneke, Belden's vice president of research and development, who helped start the program.
[To read the rest of this article by YUKI NOGUCHI, click here.]
[Image: Angela Hsieh/NPR]
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