27 Feb Manufacturing Worker Shortfall. Click to keep reading…
A recent Deloitte study projects that by 2025, there will be a 2 million fewer workers than manufacturing jobs, due to a proficiency gap. These skilled manufacturing jobs pay, on average, more than $27/hour (compared to the average hourly wage in the U.S. for all jobs of $24.34).
Many communities, and organizations are taking steps to attract students to manufacturing. An Indiana high school has even started a student-run manufacturing company based out of the school. A teacher at the school said “We’re trying very hard to build a foundation of the understanding of manufacturing, of what it takes to be a good employee, or a good business owner.” In Indiana, manufacturing accounts for 30 percent of the state’s total GDP, and workforce development is critical to the economic health of the state. Similar efforts are being used throughout the U.S. to combat the vacancies left behind by retiring workers. For instance, many students have heard of 3D printing, but don’t realize that it is a career path. Another hurdle to attracting students is that many assume manufacturing is dirty work and physically demanding. Some apprenticeship programs take students and parents on a tour of a manufacturing facility when a student expresses interest, to show them what a job in manufacturing looks like. Programs like this offer an alternative to expensive four-year university degrees. Student loan debt reached an all-time high of 1.5 trillion in May, 2018. Students that opt out of college and participate in work based learning programs, may find that the skills acquired will lead them to full-time positions after graduation.
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