JOBS LOOKING FOR WORKERS, CONT.

Yet another current and substantive report on "Factories Struggling to Find Skilled Workers," this time from this past Sunday's Washington Post.

Reporter Peter Whoriskey, writing from Holland, Michigan, notes that while presidential candidates roam the state promising to bring jobs back, " the jobs are already here.. . what's missing are the skilled workers needed to fill them." Michigan manufacturers are looking for machinists, particularly those with the ability to handle numerically-controlled equipment. Welders, tool and die makers, and assembly team leaders with basic programming skills are hard to find.

By one recent survey done for the Manufacturing Institute, there are as many as 600,000 manufacturing jobs going unfilled. The article correctly points out that high schools persist in making entrance into four-year colleges the goal of graduates - despite the fact that skilled operators-programmers make from $18-$28 an hour while the upstairs "white collar" designers make $14-$24.

Maybe, thanks to governors in the 41 states that cut spending on higher education last year, the word is getting out that for many young people four-year college degrees are a waste of time and money - and that there are plenty of jobs out there that don't require a four-year degree.

If the governors' actions send the message to the school boards that set policies for the nation's high schools, that would be a major step towards reforming the higher education Goliath - and meeting the needs of American industry.

For additional facts and analysis, check out my posts in the "Education" category written over the past 18 months, including one earlier this month.

Comments

[Gene O'Sullivan]

I work for a US manufacturer with primary operations in Pennsylvania. Our experience is consistent with your comment. We struggle mightily to find machinists. Our pay exceeds $20 per hour, plus a very good benefits package and good job security. We are currently working with a community college to train machine operators to be machinists. We do not see recent high school graduates who have any meaningful training for our jobs at any level.
I spoke recently with a commercial builder who is building a new office building for us. I asked him what his experience is in construction and he said the skilled trades, bricklayers, carpenters, etc. are also difficult to find.