Super Student

Last Name 1

Super Student

Mrs. Tomlinson

English 12

12 Feb. 2013

A Manufactured Society

Unemployment in this country right now is at an unbelievable level. The job market is especially harsh on people fresh out of college because of the diminishing number of positions to be found in all fields. In the middle of this turmoil there is one industry that has the opposite problem from the rest of the nation; they cannot[TNP1] find enough people to fill all of their open positions. This industry, manufacturing and engineering, reports that there are over half a million unfilled jobs (Swanson). This number is so large that many small businesses have had to close, and even larger national companies are slowly and steadily sinking. What is [TNP2]amazing is that no one seems to be knocking on the manufacturer’s doors looking for employment. In fact the employers are actively searching for candidates like never before. These positions, however, demand certain skills, and a lack thereof is why the few applicants are being turned away. This lack of skilled people is called a skills gap, and the cause of this national problem is a combination of fewer skilled people and fewer companies willing to invest in on-the- job training. Prevention of this gap from widening cannot come from education; companies must invest in the training of their employees.

The skills gap has not been officially recognized by most people and organizations, but it is very much a reality for American businesses that are closing or declining due to a lack of skilled people. More significantly no one is sure how large this gap really is or what it affects. The industry that is hit the hardest is the metal industry, which is mostly comprised of highly skilled jobs like machinists and welders. News Channel 8 recently interviewed owners of local metal shops about how the skills gap affected them, and they found that the number one impediment for local industry is a lack of skilled people. Someone who has the capability to weld or machine parts is currently in very high demand (“Oregon”). [TNP3]The demand is coming from the companies that make up the industrial sector of this country, and not only in metal fabrication. There is a demand in all fields of technology and engineering. Students who graduate from college with degrees in these fields are more likely to be swallowed up by employers than most others, because the demand for this type of work is only increasing (Srisavasdi). On a local scale the industry is obviously affected a great deal, especially smaller companies who may have a grand total of five employees. The Oregon Employment Office has found that almost a third of the state’s metal shops are struggling because of a lack of employees with the right mix of skills and work experience (“Oregon”).

The[TNP4] larger national corporations however would not be affected if this skills gap were only a local problem. What is cause for concern is that they are affected, in some cases even more so than local industries. A Chicago newspaper reports that, “In a Manufacturing Institute 2011 skills gap report surveying more than 1,100 U.S. manufacturers, 74 percent of respondents said a lack of skilled production workers was harming productivity or hindering their ability to expand operations” (Swanson). Now it is evident that quite a few larger corporations in the manufacturing and engineering industry are suffering. A recent federal study found almost 600,000 openings in advanced manufacturing positions and reported that 80% of manufacturers surveyed were struggling to find the required number of skilled workers. Intel alone has 4,000 to 5,000 vacancies for engineers (“Is”)[B5]. Multiple surveys from various sources agree about the skills gap’s presence in larger American industries, now it is seen as a much larger threat.

Unfortunately, there are some other problems that are creeping up on the industry that can only enhance the skills gap’s negative affects in years to come. The workforce that is the backbone of the industry today is mostly comprised of the baby boomer generation, and they are beginning to retire in large numbers. This type of work is very physically demanding and as a majority of the older workforce reaches their sixties they are leaving their jobs for retirement. This obviously is an enormous impediment to companies trying to recover from the already turbulent economy (“Oregon”). Some estimates made by The University of Michigan say that even as long ago as 2005, the American automotive industry needed to replace 250,000 retirees in order to prevent all growth from coming to a standstill (Rauschenberger). Eight years later and the situation has not improved. The skills gap has only increased in size, and will continue to do so in the near future. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers has a very intimidating prediction; their studies are estimating that the number of unfilled manufacturing positions by 2015 will be upwards of 3 million (Swanson). According to this prediction the skills gap can only increase in size and severity, which could be disastrous for the industry in the future.[B6]

To further complicate an already deteriorating situation, new evidence about technology in the manufacturing industry suggests that the jobs can only require more skills in the future. In the midst of a gap in basic employee skills, technology based jobs are requiring more skills than ever before. “According to The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 1950 60% of manufacturing jobs were unskilled; today only 30%, by 2005 only 15%” (Rauschenberger). Filling the skills gap will become even harder for companies that are already finding it impossible, because of math and computer skills that a technology based industry demands (Swanson). The industry of manufacturing and engineering in this country is steadily declining because of a lack of skilled people in the required numbers. The open positions can only increase as more people retire and more technology based skills are necessary to fill the void. Overall workforce growth is now in the negative numbers and American industry needs to find the cause of the skills gap to ensure that it has a future (Graupp Wrona 14[TNP7]).

Many people would automatically point to public education as the primary cause, and in some ways they are correct. Education in this country does not provide enough skills and contributes to the problem. It does not teach future employees how to problem solve, or how to think without a text book. On the job training is the only way an employee can ensure that they receive the work experience that employers demand and that schools cannot provide. Many applicants apply for jobs with the experience of college and public school, which is not enough for a productive role in a competitive industry. Therefore, employers are saying that the employees are not ready for work when they are hired (Rauschenberger). Education is letting the industry down, applicants who are applying for jobs are being turned away because they lack the basic skills needed by employers, such as reading and math (Gruapp 22). One report produced in 1991 was ahead of its time when it predicted that fewer than 20% of American students are "proficient" in math, and an amazing one-third do not even master basic math skills (Richter). [B8]This is not very encouraging information for the future workforce of the industry, and it can be assumed that the situation has only become worse in the last decade.

On the other hand the accusers of public education are just as guilty of contributing to the problem, if not more so. This group would be the employers themselves, the companies that are turning people away for a lack of work experience and skills. They should be choosing candidates for company training programs, apprenticeship programs, or just good old on the job training. Companies no longer offer these programs as readily as they used to; they have reduced or eliminated them to cut costs. While many larger corporations are still providing a lot of training opportunities for their employees, many have eliminated such programs entirely because they felt that they could not spare the extra expense. This gamble to save money has backfired and is now hurting companies even more because their employees are not ready for the workforce, or they aren’t able to keep up with the changing skill demands (Cappelli 9).

The most substantial cause of this skills gap, however, is most likely just a lack of respect for the trade. People in general no longer see jobs like welding and machining as respectable work, as opposed to medical fields or office positions (“Oregon”). Decreasing pay has also suggested that companies themselves are losing respect for the lower positions such as machinists and welders, not realizing what an irreplaceable means of company growth they are. Entry level wages for machinists have only increased on an average of 66 cents an hour in 25 years. In 2011 the national entry level wage for machinists was $18.82 an hour, but adjusted for inflation that number should be $25.51 to coincide with wages of twenty five years ago (Swanson). Anyone interested in these positions would be easily discouraged by these low figures, as it takes dedicated training and hard work to become a machinist or engineer.

These causes of the diminishing workforce need to be eliminated quickly to prevent any long lasting consequences; a solution needs to be found and implemented immediately. The solution cannot come from education. While it is [TNP9]argued to teach real world skills to its students, it simply cannot provide work experience and job training. The solution will have to come from the employers; they simply must be willing to invest in a future workforce to ensure their own existence. Small businesses have already discovered this. On the job training is how they train most of their employees and ensure a skilled workforce (“Oregon”). However, the larger corporations are not so quick to catch on to this simple idea. This can in some cases be a fatal mistake for large corporations, whose success depends on staying ahead of the competition. Employers must find how to engage the minds and the muscle of their employees, because it is not realistic for them to expect their applicants to arrive with the necessary skills intact. Manufacturing is no longer just the physical aspect such as wrench turning; it has now become one of the most skills-based industries in the world (Graupp 16). While many manufacturers eliminated their training programs at the end of the 20th century because of the economic boom, they are now starting to pay the price (Swanson).

Furthermore, not only does the training need to increase, but the entire interface between worker and employer needs to improve. While also demanding more skills upon entry into a position, employers are also not hiring with the right attitude. Major companies today are trying to fill their employment gaps one position at a time as each one becomes vacant. This is a mistake, because it doesn’t allow the companies to see the skills gap as a whole, and therefore they can’t fix the problem as a whole. In this manner they also overlook problems that could be solved with overall problem management, such as employee’s work ethic, self-management skills, and even motivation (Cappelli 42). Employers are only fixing the individual problems as they form, and are not putting enough effort towards their employees.

The nationwide skills gap is a very serious problem for the skilled labor industries and those that they employ, but for the most part of society it is nothing of real consequence. That is where the real mistake is being made, society in its entirety. America is a place of common possession like no other country in the world. Everything is manufactured for the demands of a society that wants the same model of a product that everyone else has, and the latest version of that product which is expected to change regularly. When a society has access to the resources that make that possible, such as manufacturing, they soon forget what it really takes to make it all possible, and more significantly, they forget how much they rely on it. Without manufacturing and the skilled people who make it a reality this country could not possibly have the modern technological marvels it has today; from pocket sized computers and transportation of people and information, to manufactured food for the survival of such a large population. Imagine what would happen if the manufacturing of everything slowly declined and eventually stopped; society would forever be changed. The skills gap, as benign as it may seem, is threatening to do just that. The skills gap is perhaps the number one enemy of American industry today (Rauschenberger)[B10]. It is caused partly by a lack of education and a lack of company training and effort, and the solution will require nothing short of corporations and society changing their whole view of the skilled workforce[TNP11].

Works Cited[TNP12]

Cappelli, Peter. Why Good People Can't Get Jobs. Pennsylvania: Wharton Digital Press, 2012. Google Books. Web. 16 Jan. 2013.

Graupp, Patrick, and Robert Wrona. Implementing TWI: Creating and Managing a Skills-Based Culture. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2011. Google Books. Web. 27 Jan. 2013.

“Is America Still Competitive? Business Leaders Propose to-do List.” Friedmannews.com[B13]. Friedman Integrated Real Estate Solutions, 2012. Web. 18 Jan. 2013.

“Oregon Businesses Seek Qualified Welders.” KGW News Channel 8. Joe Smith. NBC. KGW Portland, 10 July. 2012. Television.

Rauschenberger, John[TNP14]. "Blueprint for Building a Skilled Workforce." Plant Engineering 55.8 (2001): 53-54. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.

Richter, Paul. "Students Held Lacking in High-Tech Skills Education: Two Panels Cite Some [B15]Improvements in Math and Science Abilities. Secretary Alexander Still Sees `Shocking Gap' in Training for '90s." Los Angeles Times (pre-1997 Full text): 16. 1 Oct. 1991. Los Angeles Times; National Newspapers Core; Western Newsstand. Web. 15 Jan. 2013 .

Srisavasdi, Rachanee. "O.C. Job Market Still Hotter than Rest of Nation's Degrees: Engineering and Computer-Science Skills in High Demand." Orange County Register: 27 May 1999. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.

Swanson, S.A. “Skilled Labor Shortage Hobbles Illinois Manufacturers.” Chicago Business.com. Crain’s Chicago Business, 29 Oct. 2012. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.

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