Industry awakens: Mushrooming energy sector gets mills humming again (Pittsburgh: how much, job openings)

[Scott2187]

Here's a nice little article about some industry in the area:

Industry awakens: Mushrooming energy sector gets mills humming again | TribLIVE

I've seen a few of these articles now which reference the automation being installed on new industrial equipment. Even if things are highly automated, someone still has to fix them periodically and make sure they are operating correctly continuously.

Either way, I'm glad to see some industry re-opening or coming back to the area. The only problem I see in the future is finding skilled workers to fill the required postions. Hyundai in Alabama recently announced they were hiring 800+ jobs for their plant and got upwards of 20,000 applications, yet they're having problems finding the 'skilled' workers:

Even with the deluge of candidates for the Montgomery plant, Hyundai has had some issues finding qualified maintenance employees, according to company spokesman Robert Burns.

Here's the article: 22,000 apply for 877 Hyundai job openings - Jun. 6, 2012

[WILWRadio]

I'll bet they cannot find qualified workers for many of these jobs because most of the people that still possess these skills have either retired, died, moved into other jobs in other industries and also because schools no longer provide the training required to provide the skills needed by the candidates that want to fill these jobs. We can thank NAFTA, CAFTA, GATT and other Globalist policies that have led to the demise of manufacturing in this country for this problem. Probably the only solution is for this company to provide their own On the Job Training programs for many of these positions.

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by WILWRadio

I'll bet they cannot find qualified workers for many of these jobs because most of the people that still possess these skills have either retired, died, moved into other jobs in other industries and also because schools no longer provide the training required to provide the skills needed by the candidates that want to fill these jobs. We can thank NAFTA, CAFTA, GATT and other Globalist policies that have led to the demise of manufacturing in this country for this problem. Probably the only solution is for this company to provide their own On the Job Training programs for many of these positions.

Exactly. Schools now focus on prepping students for college and professional jobs and because of that, very little focus is given to skilled jobs that you can have a decent living with (ex: welders, electricians, etc). Now, many of these skilled but not professional or highly educated careers are having a hard time finding people to replace those that will be retiring in the next few years.

[Scott2187]

Some companies have started their own training programs by partnering with local community colleges or trade schools such as this one:

Steelworker for the Future > Home

I don't know if any Pittsburgh based companies have started this but, IIRC, CCAC West Hills has a very nice facility that would work well for this kind of program.

Too much focus has been on 4-year liberal arts degrees instead of preparing for mass retirements from the baby boomer generations in industry. I know a lot of older people just waiting for their next union contract before they decide to stay or go. But only time will tell how much manufacturing will stay in the US, or move back to the US.

[BrianTH]

The truth is that manufacturing never really left the U.S.--it just got much more labor-productive, which means it needs a lot fewer people to produce the same amount of output. Manufacturing firms also decided to focus on their core competencies, meaning a lot of former "manufacturing" jobs are now coded as third-party service jobs. All that is what killed manufacturing as a mass employment sector, and the same dynamic will eventually happen globally.

Anyway, the remaining manufacturing jobs tend to be much higher paying, but also require a lot of skills. I absolutely agree our education and training system is undersupplying this market, and there are in fact efforts to reposition our community colleges to help fulfill these needs.

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

The truth is that manufacturing never really left the U.S.--it just got much more labor-productive, which means it needs a lot fewer people to produce the same amount of output. Manufacturing firms also decided to focus on their core competencies, meaning a lot of former "manufacturing" jobs are now coded as third-party service jobs. All that is what killed manufacturing as a mass employment sector, and the same dynamic will eventually happen globally.

Anyway, the remaining manufacturing jobs tend to be much higher paying, but also require a lot of skills. I absolutely agree our education and training system is undersupplying this market, and there are in fact efforts to reposition our community colleges to help fulfill these needs.

In some cases, this might be true about labor becoming more productive. Robotics in the automotive industry lines is once case. But that's not the story I hear from people that I know personally that either own their own firms or work in the manufacturing industry as a whole.

[WILWRadio]

The following story really illustrates where the root cause of the problem is with the manufacturing base in this country.

Vernon Textile Mill To Close: Amerbelle, Historic Textile Mill, To Close In August - Courant.com

[BrianTH]

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

Exactly. Schools now focus on prepping students for college and professional jobs and because of that, very little focus is given to skilled jobs that you can have a decent living with (ex: welders, electricians, etc). Now, many of these skilled but not professional or highly educated careers are having a hard time finding people to replace those that will be retiring in the next few years.

Exactly right. Younger people these days seem to look down on the once fine Trades that you've outlined because they all seem to want to work in an office environment. I am guessing that there is a social stigma attached to working with your hands these days and thus, these trades and others like Carpet Laying, Carpentry, Plumbing etc. often times go begging for qualified help. If these younger people realized that they'd likely make more money working in a trade, perhaps they'd be more inclined to give them a try. Or perhaps they are afraid to get their hands dirty and do some real work.

[stburr91]

Originally Posted by WILWRadio

Exactly right. Younger people these days seem to look down on the once fine Trades that you've outlined because they all seem to want to work in an office environment. I am guessing that there is a social stigma attached to working with your hands these days and thus, these trades and others like Carpet Laying, Carpentry, Plumbing etc. often times go begging for qualified help. If these younger people realized that they'd likely make more money working in a trade, perhaps they'd be more inclined to give them a try. Or perhaps they are afraid to get their hands dirty and do some real work.

I agree that the social stigma attached to the trades is hurting them, but it's only part of the problem. Unfortunately, the trades are being decimated by illegals. We should see wages increase in the trades, but wages are being depressed by illegals, and those that hire them. This of course, is one of the major reasons why young (legal) people are discouraged from entering the trades.