Unskilled Workers Formal Schooling – No
Crises, like the economic recession being experienced now, help to bring into sharp focus subjects which have been ignored or relegated to the realms of obscurity but the significance of the question concerning the level of schooling someone needs to get employed or simply, whether formal schooling should hold back workers from advancing their careers, demands that the subject be addressed in an objective, unbiased manner.
One thing all workers should know is that while employers at their discretion make the final choice about what criteria they'll use to hire a person for a specific job, most employers naturally, consider the experience of the job applicant first( no one hires novices) regardless of the fact that they have any formal schooling or not. If a worker has some experience doing a job, s/he will be considered a likely candidate for the job if s/he is applying for the job or a promotion s/he is are already working and has a good working record.
Lack of formal schooling therefore doesn't qualify one to be considered ignorant. One can, if circumstances dictate, choose to take formal schooling or learn in an informal way. Both serve the same purpose though the manner in which the knowledge is gained might differ. For example, the construction industry always offers both skilled and unskilled jobs. In most cases, the unskilled workers, who act as mere assistants to the workers doing specialized jobs handing them tools or whatever they need to do the job, acquire the know-how through keen observance, if they are interested and after some time they're able to do the job themselves. It has been noted that afterwards, these workers who didn't learn their trade through formal schooling, work faster and more efficiently than their counterparts who've taken formal education. The simple explanation for this is that, practical experience arms those who've done the job, in an unskilled position, first hand information on the "dos" and "don'ts" every newbie in any industry must learn the hard way through experience.
Formal schooling therefore; isn't a necessity for a worker to apply for any job they can do and as a matter of fact, virtually all industries always have openings for unskilled workers with some actually offering incentives for career advancement should the worker stick around. So while lack of formal scholling should not hold back workers from pursuing their dream job or carrer advancement, for those who are in a priviledged postion to obtain formal schooling, it's always advisable to take it with enthusiasm because in addition to learning something that will help them earn a living, formal schooling provides knowledge on diverse subjects that might be helpful in lives, out of the workplace.