For years I have listened to manufacturing executives lament the shortage of people with the requisite skills to work in modern manufacturing. For many it is the number one issue - more important than taxes, regulation, health care or trade.
But it is by no means simple. We have many educational programs, mainly in community colleges, that purport to train people for manufacturing, but employers are skeptical. I recall one in particular who was a vocal critic of his local community college's curriculum. "Just give us that money and let us train them," he said.
At the time I dismissed that comment as an expression of frustration, but the more I think about it, the more I think he was on to something. The modern manufacturing workplace is not only complex, but it is increasingly unique to particular industries, and even within industries companies have specific needs. There is no one-size-fits-all certificate for would-be manufacturing workers.
I think a major answer to this riddle has been right in front of us all along - apprenticeships. Workers earn a salary while receiving training through supervised work-based learning but also with academic instruction. The apprentices not only master occupational skills but also learn how to solve problems, allocate resources, and deal with supervisors and co-workers. They work with adult mentors who can guide them, but allow them to make their own mistakes. The apprentices see themselves judged by established standards of a rigorous discipline, including deadlines and the real world constraints and unexpected difficulties that arise in any work environment.
There is a wide variety of apprenticeship programs supervised by the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Apprenticeship and others by state apprenticeship agencies. Most of them focus primarily on construction and manufacturing, plus a few large-scale programs in electrical, pipe-fitting, carpentry, shipbuilding, maintenance, machining and welding.
Nearly all of the countries that use apprenticeship extensively have relatively low youth unemployment rates because apprenticeships make for smoother transition from school to careers. And the beneficiaries are in the workforce earning money while they develop useful skills, not depending on public support or being sidetracked into anti-social activities.
Last December, President Obama announced, in addition to funding for two new Manufacturing Innovation Hub Competitions, $100 million for an American Apprenticeship Grants Competition. Labor Secretary Tom Perez plans to use the funds to promote partnerships among employers, training providers and local governments to expand apprenticeships in fast growing industries like information services, high-tech and healthcare. This is not the total answer to the skills shortage, but every successful apprentice is one more qualified manufacturing worker and one more productive citizen.
Jerry Jasinowski, an economist and author, served as President of the National Association of Manufacturers for 14 years and later The Manufacturing Institute. Jerry is available for speaking engagements.