Fall Into the Gap

[stewstewstewdio.livejournal.com]

A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals. - Larry Bird

When I was training for computer networking skills, I also became A+ certified in computer maintenance and repair. During the course of the classes, several people dropped out. This was because they discovered how low the compensation was for trained computer technicians and felt that it wasn’t worth pursuing.

Manufacturing companies are complaining that they are having a difficult time finding people that can match the technical skills and training they need to run the machinery. At first glance, this would seem to be a golden opportunity for the unemployed to retrain into these skills so they can become employable again.

Throughout the campaign, President Obama lamented the so-called skills gap and referenced a study claiming that nearly 80 percent of manufacturers have jobs they can’t fill. Mitt Romney made similar claims. The National Association of Manufacturers estimates that there are roughly 600,000 jobs available for whoever has the right set of advanced skills.

The reasons cited for losing so many manufacturing jobs include a classic one (automation) and a more current one (outsourcing) and the existing problem (training):

Nearly six million factory jobs, almost a third of the entire manufacturing industry, have disappeared since 2000. And while many of these jobs were lost to competition with low-wage countries, even more vanished because of computer-driven machinery that can do the work of 10, or in some cases, 100 workers. Those jobs are not coming back, but many believe that the industry’s future (and, to some extent, the future of the American economy) lies in training a new generation for highly skilled manufacturing jobs — the ones that require people who know how to run the computer that runs the machine.

The article in the New York Times describes the dilemma that these job prospects face. Union roles are being reduced and starting pay for many of these jobs start at about $10 per hour. If the employee gets an associate’s degree, this amount can go up to $15 per hour and possibly up to $18 per hour after several years of good service.

This is hardly a career path for someone who would want to maintain a middle class lifestyle and support a family. It especially seems so when pursuit of a career at McDonalds is almost as financially attractive as seeking a technical specialization that would have to be kept up to date. And this is also a far cry from the type of career path that is going to approach closing the income gap that is widening in America.

It looks as if the solution to this problem would be an old tried and true one. Put the onus on the companies to do training on the job to get current employees or new employees up to speed on these machines in manufacturing. Yet, this solution has become impractical as well. Per the article:

This is partly because advanced manufacturing is really complicated. Running these machines requires a basic understanding of metallurgy, physics, chemistry, pneumatics, electrical wiring and computer code. It also requires a worker with the ability to figure out what’s going on when the machine isn’t working properly. And aspiring workers often need to spend a considerable amount of time and money taking classes like Goldenberg’s to even be considered. Every one of Goldenberg’s students, he says, will probably have a job for as long as he or she wants one.

The income gap isn’t the only problem in this case. Once again, the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) gap appears to be much to blame for America falling behind and losing our ability to remain competitive internationally in manufacturing. With all the austerity measures being proposed to resolve our national debt, hijacking education would be just another step in gutting the value of our American society.

Comments

[harry-beast.livejournal.com]

I would imagine that it is a small number of positions that are hard to get. People trying to enter that market would find themselves ignored, disrespected and generally treated as if no one was interested in their skills. And no one is. That's really the point I was making.
That does remind me, though ... I was reading recently about ageism in Silicon Valley, about how hard it is for qualified, experienced people with a good track record to get jobs if they were over a certain age.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

It is not only Silicon Valley where that occurs. I heard of someone who was laid off as a film editor. I suspected his age may have had something to do with it. New Jersey is probably a better place for an old engineer to ply her trade.

As far as higher paid technical work, a good deal of the compensation comes from the reputation of the technician. A beauty operator with a flair for fashion trends in hair design can make hundreds of dollar on a haircut. Young beauticians may earn less than a Starbucks barista but with a heart for the craft they can advance.

[harry-beast.livejournal.com]

An important part of advancing is being able to get hands on experience. A young beautician could cut hair at home, but a young engineer, technician or industrial designer might have more trouble getting access to the tools, software and experience needed to get his or her career off the ground in the absence of any support or interest on the part of industry. "No work, no experience ... no experience, no work" is a real problem, and that is doubly true for older workers trying to break into a new career.