Just thinking out loud...
What if, instead of paying people 99 weeks for unemployment, we support them for 9 intensive months to learn a programming language/framework/toolset that is in demand?
As the article observes:
If you are thinking, “Well, this is an interesting trend, but not everyone could learn how to code.” Think again. I’ll tell you a secret: Not all coding is so tough. The tools for developing today are becoming simpler. Various Frameworks, Ruby on Rails, JQuery, CoffeeScript, HTML5, are all examples of coding technologies which enable coders to do more with less, and are based on older and more complex technologies. Technological innovations make this possible. If everyone who is capable of writing even basic code could do so, then the brightest minds could work on the genuinely complex parts, such as the algorithms. Creating a simple Web page does not require the same amount of effort as creating a trading program for a hedge fund.
BTW, There are already initiatives which help teach children to code. There are children who learn how to code using Scratch.
Scratch was designed by MIT to teach the basics of computer development from scratch, and enables one to create games and projects through a simple graphic UI.
About 99% of the population does not have the background or mental ability to learn these skills.
The 1% that does, mostly have a job already.
I am a skilled programmer in C++ and Java, and to do the simplest things in a real work environment you need to know a lot.
A bit like the Vo-Tech School when I was a kid. Churned out lots of hair dressers, auto mechanics, welders, etc. Probably way too many.
Gaps in the job market tend to close very quickly. If you declare a major at the outset in 4-year degree program the field tends to be oversupplied by the time you do graduate.
Understand what your trying to say though.
They’ve still got to be smart to become an in-demand (that is, valuable) programmer.
Maybe so, but there's A LOT more to developing a usable application that simply coding. Frankly, AFAIC it's one of (if not THE) the biggest problem we have with software today. Most coders I've worked with do know how to code, but their design, debug and implementation skills stink. Beyond that, they don't understand how a computer works and therefore are missing vital pieces of information.
Yeah, many kids can code. But the vast majority of the time they can't do it well, and they don't necessarily know why it works. When it stops working, they're lost and usually are reduced to the debugging equivalent of shooting in the dark.