What You Can Do in Your Community to Support Expanded Training for Skilled American Jobs

From the Center for America

What You Can Do in Your Community to Support Expanded Training for Skilled American Jobs?

How many ways you can help?

Look for resources and links on the CFA website.

Young People and Parents

… Enroll in after-school programs or summer camps that focus on skills-building projects

… Attend events sponsored by skills training centers to find programs that are exciting

High Schools and Parents

… Talk with guidance counselors about careers in the skilled trades and technical fields

… Visit local manufacturing companies to learn about their jobs, training and factories

… Learn about what skills training programs are offered by community colleges, nonprofit organizations and visit the most interesting ones

Teachers and Guidance Counselors

… Invite speakers from manufacturers to talk about their companies and jobs

… Organize field trips for teachers and students to visit manufacturers

School System Administrators

… Work with local business and existing nonprofit training centers to expand cooperative training opportunities for students

… Consider how to support manufacturing skills and technical curricula in your schools

Retirees

… Volunteer to teach your skills to others or help with community outreach activities

Business Managers, Owners

… Invite local student and youth groups to tour your facilities and talk about the benefits of careers in manufacturing and technical trades

… Consider whether you can offer apprenticeships in collaboration with local training programs

… Consider whether several businesses can work together to support and sponsor local training programs

… Encourage employees to volunteer as faculty for nonprofit or public school training programs

Unions

… Encourage members to sign-up for additional training to help them transition to better jobs

… Work with local companies to help support and sponsor local training programs

Foundations

… Develop “seed money” grants to help startup training programs or fund special outreach

… Seek out programs that to bring school dropouts back into school and skills training

… Seek out special projects that will give training program students a real-life experience, such as rehabbing a house or building a boat

Media

… Consider coverage on companies seeking and training skilled workers

… Consider series coverage on the range of local tinkering and training programs for various age groups and workers in transition

State Officials

… Reassess the adequacy of state policies and support for nonprofit and public school training programs in light of future skilled worker needs

… Support and promote effective public-private training partnerships as role models

Did You Know?

According to a May 2011 survey by Manpower Group among 40,000 employers globally, skilled trades workers as a group rank number one in the U.S. and 13 other countries as to the “difficulty of filling jobs due to the lack of talent”.

At the height of the recession, 32% of manufacturers reported that they had jobs going unfilled because they could not find workers with the right skills, according to the National Association of Manufacturers.

2.7 million manufacturing employees are 55 years of age or older and likely to leave the labor force over the next 10 years. (NAM) This does not include skilled workers in other sectors, such as those in the utility and trucking sectors.

By 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, those 55 and older will number some 40 million and comprise nearly a quarter of the total U.S. labor force. The retirement of this age group over the ensuing decade has the potential to cripple U.S. industry unless those fewer entering the workforce have advanced skills along with science, technology and mathematics attainment.

A 2011 survey by The Nielson Company among executives from 103 large U.S. manufacturing firms found that on average, the shortage of skilled workers will cost each company $63 million over the next five years, some as much as $100 million. These costs include training and recruiting, followed by problems caused by lower quality and resulting decreases in customer satisfaction.

In 2010, China had 19.8% of global factory output, compared with 19.4% for the U.S., making China the world leader in manufacturing, according to IHS Global Insight. However, labor productivity in the U.S. is three times that of China. The U.S. lead in productivity can be maintained only by ensuring that a skilled labor shortage is avoided.

Industry experts are predicting a shortage of 150,000, 300,000, 500,000 or more [truck] drivers by [2012],” according to Heavy Trucking Magazine. Roughly one quarter of the 637,000 aerospace workers in the U.S. could be eligible for retirement this year, according to the Aerospace Industry Association.

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