Manufacturers need a skilled workforce to succeed in today’s global economy. Although we need machinists and welders, we also need to ensure that the innovators, those driving change and invention, come and stay in the US.

Many of the smartest people from around the world come to the US to be educated. That is why the NAM commends introduction of the “STEM Jobs Act of 2012” by thank Chairman Lamar Smith and we urge Congress to pass it. This bill will allow manufacturers access to talent without increasing the total number of visas.  By creating two new employment-based visa categories for Masters and PhD graduates from qualified universities in STEM fields, the bill allows for a streamlined green card process.  This is an important step towards reforming the employment-based visa system to retain talent and encourage innovation, so US manufacturing can remain a global leader. This positive step is recognized by both Democrats and Republicans as evidenced by bills authored by both Rep Lofgren and Senator Schumer that also increase employment based visas.  The NAM has long worked for a bi-partisan solution to this problem and will continue to pursue broad reforms.

The NAM looks forward to working with the co-sponsors to promote this valuable legislation.

BASF, whose U.S. headquarters is found in Florence, N.J., has been an active part of the NAM Summit today, taking the message of lower taxes, affordable energy, and a skilled workforce all over Capitol Hill.

In one meeting with Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA), they shared the ongoing issue of the skills gap that has left 600,000 manufacturing jobs unfilled across America. They are asking Congress to pass the America Works Act in order to create a nationally portable certification system to address the problem.

BASF is doing their part to create jobs and in the near future will be adding over 100 jobs at their North Carolina facilities.

Yesterday, Representative Joe Walsh (R-IL) filed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act which adds industry recognized credentials to the Department of Defense Pilot Program on Receipt of Civilian Credentialing for Military Occupational Skills. One of the greatest challenges facing manufacturers today is this inability to find the skilled talent needed for today’s modern manufacturing. The skills obtained in the military are highly sought after in the private sector; however it is often difficult to align those skills with civilian job descriptions. It is our hope that this pilot program, with the inclusion of industry-recognized credentials, will begin to bridge that gap.

By using industry-recognized credentials as the basis for identifying competencies, separating military will know exactly what jobs they are qualified for and employers will have a better understanding of which candidates possess the skills required.  The NAM supports Congressman Walsh’s amendment and urges its adoption.

Across the nation, manufacturers are unified in emphasizing the need for a strong technical workforce to meet the needs of advanced manufacturing. Today the Senate Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion held a hearing to highlight that need titled, “Promoting American Competitiveness: Filling Jobs Today and Training Workers for Tomorrow.”  We are pleased to see the subcommittee attempt to address this serious concern.

The President of the Manufacturing Institute, Jennifer McNelly, testified at the hearing, highlighting that the best way to train workers for job in an advanced technical economy is to ground that learning in industry-based credentials in coordination with secondary and post-secondary educational institutions. The testimony, which was well-received by the Committee, pointed out,”… we need a new strategy for our manufacturing workforce, grounded in industry standards, with new and renewed cooperation with industry, education, economic development, and the public workforce investment system.”

As Subcommittee Chair, Senator Klobucharstated in her opening statement, “…this is not your grandfather’s voc-tech.”  Growing our national technical workforce will keep manufacturers competitive and growing in the US.”

AT&T is launching a $250 million campaign, AT&T Aspire, to help bridge the skills gap that has left over 600,000 manufacturing jobs unfilled. The commitment, planned for the next five years, will assist high school students get ready for careers and college – and in doing so will help America become more competitive in the global marketplace.

According to AT&T, they will accomplish that goal by, “using technology to connect with students in new and more effective ways, such as with interactive gamification, Web-based content and social media. The company will also tap the innovation engine of the AT&T Foundry to look for fresh or atypical approaches to educational obstacles. Finally, AT&T Aspire will capitalize on the power of personal connections in the form of mentoring, internships and other voluntary efforts that involve many of AT&T’s approximately 260,000 employees.”

AT&T Aspire began in 2008 with more than $100 million invested in education across the country. Over one million students already benefitted from their programs.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) speaks at the launch of the Right Skills Now program.

According to a survey conducted recently by the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte, 80 percent of manufacturers face a moderate to severe shortage of skilled workers.  In a country with 9.1 percent unemployment, jobs are going unfilled because employers can’t find worker with the right skills.

The National Association of Manufacturers and the Manufacturing Institute are trying to fix this skills-gap problem and are seeing support for their efforts in the public and private sectors.  It was just a few months ago that President Obama endorsed the Institute’s national skills certification system.

Today, in Plymouth, Minnesota (just outside of Minneapolis), the Manufacturing Institute, members of the President’s Council on Job’s and Competitiveness and representatives from local businesses and educational institutions gathered at Productivity to launch Right Skills Now, a program that will train workers for jobs in modern manufacturing.

Also attending the event were NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons, who introduced Small Business Administrator Karen Mills, and the Manufacturing Institute’s Jennifer McNelly.

National Public Radio has been running a solid series this week on the economy, especially the obstacles to recovery, with Tuesday’s report focusing on shortage of skilled employees who can fill the (darn good) jobs in high-tech manufacturing. From All Things Considered, “To Fill Job Skills, Firm Brings Training In House“:

Some people might think that working in a metal-parts factory would mean wearing greasy overalls and laboring in a dimly lit and potentially dangerous place. “People have an image of a dark, smoky factory with a dirt floor with metal parts flying everywhere,” says Carl Pasciuto, president of the Custom Group, a manufacturing company outside Boston.

In reality, today’s advanced manufacturing facilities like Custom Group’s factory look more like well-lit, clean airplane hangars full of super-high-tech equipment.

“There’s probably $2 million worth of machines in your eyeshot right here,” Pasciuto says from a corner of the factory floor. “That’s what’s necessary to survive.”

Countering that image has been one of tasks of the NAM’s Manufacturing Institute through partnerships with local companies, educational institutions, and worforce development groups in the Institute’s “Dream It Do It” campaign. The program continues its steady growth nationally. The latest effort was announced in October in Carson City, Nev.:

The Manufacturing Institute and the Northern Nevada Development Authority announced the deployment of a national initiative to revitalize Nevada’s workforce and economy.  Developed by the Institute in 2005, Dream It. Do It. uses cutting-edge marketing to inform students, transitioning workers and military servicemen and women about exciting career opportunities in manufacturing and other key sectors to our community such as construction, healthcare, mining, renewable energy, public service and many others. 

CNNMoney.com, “Boomerang kids: 85% of college grads move home“:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Getting a degree used to be a stepping stone to limitless career opportunities. Now it’s more of a hiatus from living under your parents’ roof.

Stubbornly high unemployment — nearly 15% for those ages 20-24 — has made finding a job nearly impossible. And without a job, there’s nowhere for these young adults to go but back to their old bedrooms, curfews and chore charts. Meet the boomerangers.

One cause for this failure to launch could be educations and expectations that have become divorced from the working world, that is, reality.

Math skills would help, too.

Danville (Conn.) Commercial News,  “Local manufacturer needs workers,” reporting on the demand for employees at Thyssen-Krupp Crankshaft.

Forge team, tool room, and crane/store room positions are available in the Danville Forge area and forge team and die shop positions are available at the Veedersburg Forge division.

In the Danville machining category, HVAC, manufacturing engineering, fabrication, preventative maintenance and electronics technicians and around 20 machine operators.

[Erik] Jensen said the machine operator positions are quite specialized, with the ideal candidate having experience around industrial machinery and equipment and cutting metal.

“These positions are technical in nature and require a decent number of math skills and using measurements,” Jensen said.

From the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, “FABTECH 2010 Discussion Topic: Filling the Skilled Labor Gap“: (continue reading…)

George R. Boggs, president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), prepared a briefing paper for the White House Summit on Community Colleges, “Democracy’s Colleges: The Evolution of the Community College in America.”

Page 10 is headed, “A Skilled Workforce Is Key to Economic Recovery and Future Competitiveness.” Excerpt:

The current economic recession has underscored the essential role that community colleges play in preparing the nation’s workforce. As the economy faltered, community college enrollment surged by close to 17% nationwide between fall 2007 and fall 2009, comprising both new high school graduates seeking affordable entry into college and adult learners looking for training to allow them to keep their jobs or move into new careers. In communities where whole industries have been lose through plant closures, community colleges have focused on intensive customized services and classes for displaced workers. Colleges have developed partnerships and training alternative to help resuscitate their communities. The rise in student numbers, while shrinking revenues force state and local policymakers to reduce support colleges, presents a need for large and small colleges to do more with less. (continue reading…)

Drew Greenblatt, president of Marlin Steel Wire Products and an NAM board member, talked about the economy, competitiveness, and the need for skilled employees in a segment Friday on the PBS Show, Nightly Business Report. From the transcript:

DARREN GERSH, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: After what you just heard, you are going to find this hard to believe. There are employers out there who say they are having trouble finding good people to hire even in this economy. Employers like Drew Greenblatt at Marlin Steel Wire. How can you have high unemployment and you got good jobs going unfilled?

DREW GREENBLATT, PRESIDENT, MARLIN STEEL WIRE: We have a mismatch. We have people out there that are skilled and trained, let`s say, to work in a retail showroom or to work in a MacDonalds or a restaurant. They are not necessarily trained to be able to know what a radius is or to know how to read a tape measure or to know how to read a blueprint or know how to change a bearing, or a die set in a robot.

GERSH: You can see Marlin Steel Wire`s challenge right here — 51 minutes. That`s how much longer this machine will run before it shuts down and has to be set up again. Now the operator who set up this machine has already gone home for the night. His shift is over. If they could find somebody else to come in and set up this machine, it could run all night long. Greenblatt says he is even having some trouble finding a bookkeeper. After getting more than 250 resumes, he found just four candidates who know manufacturing and job costing. One toured the floor while we visited. And, yes, Greenblatt is offering more money — 20 percent more — to find the right person.

GREENBLATT: So we thought it was going to be really easy to fill this position. So we`re actually surprised about how much of a challenge it`s been for us.

Also discussing workplace skills in the segment was Jerry Jasinowski, former president of the National Association of Manufacturers and current member of the Manufacturing Institute’s board of trustees.

Video of the program is here, and kudos to PBS and the Nightly Business Report for its speedy transcriptions.