Page 17 - SKILLS Workforce Development Guide 2021

L to R: Mechanical engineers Leo Chin and Richard Wilson stand next to the latest generation of automated inspection systems for pharmaceutical products, made by Hawthorne-based company, PTI.
To support advanced manufacturers, local workforce development officials are focused on attracting and training talent for middle-skilled trade jobs such as machinist, maintenance mechanic, and welder. These are jobs that pay wages in the range of $15-$18 an
hour up to $60 an hour. They also
want to develop more engineers and programmers, who can earn a six-figure income, says King.
HELPING NEW WORKERS ENTER THE FIELD
Training workers for the middle-skills jobs will likely require developing more internships and apprenticeships. “They require on-the-job training,” says King. “As an association, we’re trying to formalize this as a recruiting tool. If you are a high school student and want to get into a career, you want some credentials. If a company offers an apprenticeship position, it really helps them to get the right caliber person who is going to commit to them and commit to a career.”
One area where there are a
growing number of apprenticeships is industrial maintenance technology—a middle-skills field where workers are
in demand, says Dan Cullen, director
of field services at the Workforce Development Institute in Albany. Some employers are, alternatively, helping workers develop “stackable” credentials
by paying all or some of the costs for certifications that allow someone to learn a skill that’s needed on the job, such as welding, while working toward more advanced skills.
“Some of our aerospace and medical manufacturers make things in sizes smaller than you see with the naked eye,” says Cullen. “If you are designing them, you have to be highly trained. Most people don’t just walk in the door with that.”
But it’s not just training that’s necessary to spur growth in advanced manufacturing, says King. Shoring up childcare programs will also be important
— a factor that became very clear during the pandemic. “Remote work is only reasonable for about 40% of people who work in manufacturing,” says King. “Childcare issues became huge.”
Although the human resources managers of the Council of Industry’s member firms were “super-human” in helping keep plants staffed, keeping shifts filled remains a problem at many local plants. “Finding people continues to be a huge challenge,” King says. Many plants already find it challenging to find backups when team members must use family leave policies, he finds.
Companies that want to stay productive may need to help provide childcare solutions, he says. “Sometimes it’s a matter of finding a licensed provider and leasing space to them,” says King. That could become complicated in
a plant with multiple shifts, he adds.
“If you’re starting a shift at 4 pm, that becomes a whole different dynamic.”
Ultimately, allowing advanced manufacturers to continue to innovate may require something that has nothing to do with internships, apprenticeships, or on-the-job training. “We’ve got to make it easier for families to be families and raise kids,” says King.
“If you are a high school student and want to get into a career, you want some credentials. If a company offers an apprenticeship position, it really helps them to get the right caliber person who is going to commit to them and commit
to a career.”
—Harold King, President, Council of Industry
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© Courtesy of PTI