How does the government tackle unemployment and get people back to work?

The government has tried the practice of increasing spending in order to stimulate the economy. This practice started under the previous administration and continues under the current. It seems to me that this approach isn't working well enough to do the trick has unemployment is hovering just under 10% and real unemployment numbers are cited around 17% - 22% by economists. Obviously, continuing to go into debt is bad for the country, but a necessary step required by politicians wanting to minimize the impact of a bad economy on the public. So, what other options are at the disposal of the government to directly tackle unemployment? I'm not looking for partisan answers. I'm looking for solutions regardless of what side of the aisle you are on.