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>Why bother to train American workers when it's hundreds of times cheaper to manufacture items overseas?<
Fair question.
Selling to a market is taking from that market.
Employing in that same market is putting something back.
Taking from something and putting nothing back is called a parasite. Works both ways in referring to the welfare class or the corporate class.
>Why bother to train American workers when it's hundreds of times cheaper to manufacture items overseas?<
Fair question.
Selling to a market is taking from that market.
Employing in that same market is putting something back.
Taking from something and putting nothing back is called a parasite. Works both ways in referring to the welfare class or the corporate class.
The parasites here are the American politicians and people who seem to think corporations owe them something.
In case you haven't noticed the marketplace is now global, the world no longer revolves around America.
I am not surprised about manufacturing jobs being filled by imported workers. It is low paying and body destroying work. The only places where one can barely survive on this low wages is in the rural south where the cost of living is low.
As we are hung up on everyone having to work to recieve an income with a few exceptions involving interest and dividends and everyone needs a income to buy things then in order to sell things everyone needs to be employed by somebody. Indeed corporations exist to make money but in order to make money you have to sell your product. Without enough customers with enough money or credit to buy you do not selll and without sales income you go broke and stop making the product.
Maybe this is why a substantial portion of US industry sells to the government bcause the government will never run out of credit and will always be buying. these people sell weapons and other military goods and services. They make money while the car companies go broke.
In addition the finance commpanies do absolutely nothing but collect usuorious interest and if that is insufficient they charge their customers just for having an account. Larry the loan shark is jelouse.
>The parasites here are the American politicians and people who seem to think corporations owe them something.
In case you haven't noticed the marketplace is now global, the world no longer revolves around America.<
The govt being a parasite does not change the fact that corps that take from the US market without putting something back is STILL a parasite. This just turns it into "so's yer mama" circular argument.
...
"Business for factories has surged recently, creating a huge demand for machinists, tool and die makers, computer-controlled machine programmers and operators.
"These jobs are the backbone of manufacturing," said Gardner Carrick, senior director with the Manufacturing Institute. "These are good quality middle-class jobs that Americans should be training for."
The small company I work for, as well as other manufacturing shops in my area are facing this. CNC machinists and "manual" machinists are both in short supply. Much of this traces back to our pathetic excuse for an educational industry. For at least 40 years, going into "the trades" was looked down upon, and the better students were directed towards a H/S program best described as "college prep". Never mind the degree....even (largely) useless degrees like English Literature or Political Science were more "prestegious" than a career in the trades.
On top of that, most of today's graduates would be hard pressed to make it as a machinist. THey have to know a certain amount of metalurgy, math skills, including geometry and trig, have considerable computer skills and be able to read a blueprint. Most people aren't willing to put in the effort, and do not have the aptitude. As such, the shortage in skilled trades could be anticipated.
Pay scales for someone with those skills are often excellent. Back when I was with GM, skilled tradesmen made more than I did as an engineer (with some overtime anyway). Expect to see this pay scale shift upward due to the shortage of skilled personnel.
Last edited by Toyman at Jewel Lake; 03-05-2012 at 02:53 PM..
Blue collar workers generally don't have the funds to pursue additional vocational training. I support efforts to increase vocational training grants and/or tax breaks to companies who pay for or reimburse training costs to employees.
The small company I work for, as well as other manufacturing shops in my area are facing this. CNC machinists and "manual" machinists are both in short supply. Much of this traces back to our pathetic excuse for an educational industry. For at least 40 years, going into "the trades" was looked down upon, and the better students were directed towards a H/S program best described as "college prep". Never mind the degree....even (largely) useless degrees like English Literature or Political Science were more "prestegious" than a career in the trades.
On top of that, most of today's graduates would be hard pressed to make it as a machinist. THey have to know a certain amount of metalurgy, math skills, including geometry and trig, have considerable computer skills and be able to read a blueprint. Most people aren't willing to put in the effort, and do not have the aptitude. As such, the shortage in skilled trades could be anticipated.
Pay skills are often excellent. Back when I was with GM, skilled tradesmen made more than I did as an engineer (with some overtime anyway). Expect to see this pay scale shift upward due to the shortage of skilled personnel.
Exactly. My father managed the water treatment facilities in my hometown for more than 20 years and a common complaint coming from him was the lack of people with the basic skills to perform water treatment for a small/medium municipality. Water treatment involves the ability to understand relatively complex math and chemistry, but it doesn't require a college degree.
Essentially, the city/county had a very hard time finding employees skilled enough or intellectual enough to meet the basic demands of the job. A high school education simply didn't do the job.
Last edited by AeroGuyDC; 03-05-2012 at 02:21 PM..
Reason: spelling
I am not surprised about manufacturing jobs being filled by imported workers. It is low paying and body destroying work. The only places where one can barely survive on this low wages is in the rural south where the cost of living is low.
Not all of the jobs are assembly line, manufacturing positions. A good amount of them require technical knowledge, computer experience as well as engineering. You can't always take someone off of an assembly line and teach them to use a computer operated manufacturing device.
This is what Obama said a few years ago (to which Santorum called him a snob) when he asked people to pledge or promise to go to at least one year of college, community college, tech or vocational schools in order to complete on a global scale. People scoffed. People made fun of him and now companies are moving back here yet there is no talent.
I don't agree with much of what Obama says but for someone to try and tell me that getting an education to better your ability to grow your career and become a more productive worker is a bad thing or snobbish they are an idiot.
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