Why are so many Americans so poorly prepared for the modern job market?

People have been working for around "20 years" have generally been working since the 1990s " when good-paying jobs were popping up all the time". If they have been working in construction things have been good for a very long time and the same goes for manufacture. These jobs are less academic and careerist than law. They are indeed the staple of another era of stable job for life. These people who have been steadily employed for about 2 decades since the 1990s, when good jobs were available, its not actually that hard to see why they haven't been training. It didn't seem relevant or necessary possibly and even a drain on their families or their own resources. Other people who made poor choices also do look for help of employment agencies. If you can't help but feel contempt and look down your nose at these people maybe you are in the wrong line of work. Especially since it is your job to hold an information advantage about what is needed to get a job these days. Also be careful who you look down your nose at as one day you might get a bloody one.