By Marty Nemko
March 2, 2006
Would you trust somebody who advised your high-school-age son or daughter to train for a career in manufacturing? Doubtful. After all, blue-collar jobs evoke images of hot, clanging, dangerous factory floors. And to get a job, wouldn’t you have to move to Guadalajara or Shanghai? After all, for decades, manufacturing has been moving from the United States to low-cost countries. And the trend seems to be accelerating. Ford and General Motors recently announced major layoffs, and as if to rub it in, GM almost simultaneously announced a nearly 30 percent increase in hiring in India.
Yet despite all the offshoring and other bad news, there still are rewarding–and secure–manufacturing careers. That’s right–in America. A recent study by Deloitte Consulting for the Manufacturing Institute of the National Association of Manufacturers found that over the next three years, 80 percent of U.S. manufacturing companies expect shortages of skilled production workers–people like machinists, craft workers, and technicians. Further up the skill ladders, 65 percent reported current shortages of engineers and scientists.
“Shortage is an understatement!” says David Heuther, NAM’s chief economist. For example, Stephanie Harkness, chairman and CEO of Pacific Plastics & Engineering, a small medical device firm in Santa Cruz, Calif., says she’s been unable to fill 11 skilled manufacturing positions, even though the positions have been advertised for four to six months. Examples of the openings: quality inspector, assembler, and tooling engineer.
Isn’t the work environment dirty and noisy and maybe even dangerous? In some old industrial facilities, yes. But many of today’s manufacturing jobs are far from that. “In our company, we have 24 people who work in an electronic ‘clean room’ more antiseptic than a hospital operating room,” says Harkness. Mike Smeltzer, executive director of the Manufacturer’s Association of South Central Pennsylvania, touts careers in electronic technology, and not just because the work environment is usually pleasant: “Get a two-year degree in electronic technology and you’re hirable not only in manufacturing, but even if manufacturing dips, hospitals need you to troubleshoot all their machines,” he advises. “That transferability should make you confident it will be worth the two years of training.”
Smeltzer is also hot on welding and metal fabrication: “There’s a real shortage of welders everywhere from buildings to bridges, motorcycle factories to auto repair shops.” Phyllis Eisen of NAM says the average salary, including benefits, is $62,000. “And welders get hired in one day, often into secure union jobs,” she adds.
I put Smeltzer on the spot, asking if he would really encourage his brother or sister to choose a career spent in a protective suit and welder’s visor, piecing parts together parts the same way day after day. “Things have changed,” he responded. “Today’s welder might, for example, monitor 10 robotic welders, interpret blueprints, and troubleshoot systems.”
Warren Farrell, author of Why Men Earn More, says that’s particularly good news for women: “Manufacturing jobs are making a transition from muscle to microchip, and therefore from male-friendly to also female-friendly.”
Many experts also agree that the best training for manufacturing jobs is often the cheapest: a local community college. Those institutions offer one-year certificate and two-year degree programs designed together with local manufacturers. Smeltzer advises taking a business class as part of the curriculum. “Many young minds are being trained to be creative, but at the expense of logical thinking,” he says. “Business classes teach logic.” Harkness suggests taking a course or two in quality assurance and CAD/CAM, which can help snag some of the more rewarding manufacturing jobs. And Eisen points out that you don’t need a full-blown science degree to take advantage of technical shortages. “While we definitely need more engineers, even just some pre-engineering courses are often enough to make you hirable,” she says. “You certainly don’t need to be a programmer. Those jobs are being shipped to Asia.”
One innovative training option is a competency-based apprenticeship program, such as the one offered by the National Institute of Metalworking Skills (https://www.nims-skills.org/). That gets you certified based on achieving key competencies, not on how many hours you spend in a classroom or apprenticeship.
Other places to check for good manufacturing jobs:
- Your local OneStop employment service (https://www.careeronestop.org), a federal service that posts job listings and offers other resources
- Large temp agencies such as Manpower (https://www.manpower.com), which also provide some training. Many hire temps in manufacturing jobs.
- Your local chamber of commerce (https://www.uschamber.com)
- Union websites, such as https://teamster.org
- Your local workforce board (find yours at https://www.nawb.org)
- Individual employers’ sites
- State manufacturing associations (links at https://www.nam.org)
Note: Even in manufacturing, many jobs are obtained by networking and cold calling, so don’t limit your job search to just answering ads.
Unfortunately for displaced autoworkers and others in the rust belt, demand for certain types of skilled manufacturing workers doesn’t necessarily offer a parachute. Even if they happen to be where the jobs are—North Carolina, Alabama, Ohio, Pennsylvania, California—it’s not “Come on down!” Many autoworkers come from the traditional mold, doing the same task, day in and day out. Today’s factory is not your father’s factory, and many of those repetitive jobs are getting shipped to low-cost countries. “The new manufacturing worker has to think, know math, interpret CAD/CAM drawings, be knowledgeable about more than one process, and be a good team problem solver,” says Eisen. “I’m sure some of the GM and Ford workers can do that, but as a whole, they’re not the answer to our shortage.”
Perhaps you are. For a quick quiz that matches your skills, interests, and values to specific manufacturing-related careers, check out Dream It. Do It. While it’s aimed at young adults, it’s useful for people of all ages.