Page 22 - Stuff Made and Built in Delaware 2020

TECH SAVVY, PEOPLE SKILLS REQUIRED FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF MANUFACTURING WORKERS
BY TINA IRGANG LEADERMAN AND TODD KARPOVICH
computer,” said Daryl Roberts, chief operations and engineering officer at DuPont, at a July 21 panel discussion on the future of manufacturing hosted by hosted by the DSCC. “We need folks who have IT skills, but also understand the basics of how machinery works. ... Be it folks with an associate’s degree or a certificate from a technology platform or a four- year degree, all those people are in the mix for skill sets that we have opportunities for.”
One example of a tech-focused manufacturing job: computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine tool programmer. These workers develop programs to control the machining or processing of metal
or plastic parts, and it’s one of the fastest-growing manufacturing occupations as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average annual salary for this position is $89,000, according
to CareerBuilder. The Delaware Department of Labor calculates that entry-level workers in this position can expect to make an average of $18.78 an hour, or $39,000 a year.
Many community colleges offer certificate programs to prepare young workers for tech-focused jobs in manufacturing. For example, Delaware Technical Community
T he manufacturing industry provides a source of income for more than 27,000 Delawareans
and their families, according to the Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP), and there’s always room for new talent.
In the summer of 2020, employment search engine Indeed counted more than 700 manufacturing jobs available in the state of Delaware. The pay
for these jobs ranged from the low $20,000s to more than $80,000
per year. Drugs, industrial chemicals, plastics and other synthetics are some of Delaware’s primary manufacturing products.
Unlike other growth sectors
in Delaware, opportunities in manufacturing aren’t just concentrated in specific locations. “Manufacturing
is definitely statewide,” says Michele Schiavoni, DPP’s director of external relations and marketing.
Michael Quaranta, president of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce
(DSCC) and a member of the Delaware Manufacturing Association’s board of managers, argues that manufacturing is a sound choice for career growth.
“Our demand and our needs for talent [in manufacturing] are substantial,”
he says. The drive to send everyone
to college “has created a manmade shortage of people in the trades. There are great opportunities to get through trade school and technical training for those in-demand jobs without much of any debt.”
Here is an overview of the kinds of opportunities available in the sector, and what skills employers are looking for.
Technology
As in other sectors, IT savvy is becoming an increasingly important skill in manufacturing.
“More and more manufacturing equipment is controlled by iPad or
P20 STUFF | DelawareBusinessTimes.com
TOP JOBS:
Manufacturing