STEM, training programs, apprenticeships all can help ensure global competitiveness
By Ed Parris, president, Phillips Staffing
South Carolina, we have a problem.
Unemployment is down. Job announcements are up. The economy is growing. Business confidence is improving. Capital investment is accelerating.
So what’s the problem?
South Carolina – and just about all of America – lacks a ready-and-available workforce pipeline to sustain momentum and ensure our competitiveness in the global economy. It’s a big, complex challenge, with no silver-bullet solutions. It’s one we need to fix together.
There is a startling imbalance in today’s labor market as we emerge from the recession. Manufacturers in particular are struggling to fill hundreds of thousands of open jobs. Across South Carolina, our skilled and experienced workforce – long a point of pride and competitive advantage – is at risk of becoming a weakness.
This is partially driven by retirements, as boomers leave the workforce. It’s exacerbated by the fact that many young people – tomorrow’s workforce – lack critical science, technology, engineering and math skills to follow them in the emerging technology-driven economy.
The recession also sapped funds for apprenticeship programs at many companies. And manufacturing itself has done a poor job of replacing its image of “physical, dirty, labor-intensive work with a limited career path.” The reality of today’s exciting manufacturing careers includes working with computers, robotics and commanding, in some cases, salaries that can pay $100,000 or more with overtime.
This perfect storm has resulted in a lack of skilled machinists, welders, electricians, multi-skilled maintenance workers and quality technicians – just a few of many positions that pay well yet are going unfilled.
“The average liberal arts graduate from a four-year college is making less than $40,000 or can’t find a position in their field,” noted Eric Spiegel, CEO of Siemens USA, in a recent interview. “Meanwhile, we can’t fill technical jobs (many of which start at $55,000 a year).”
Solving this dilemma requires action on many fronts – renewed focus on technical education, increased skills training and expansion of apprenticeship programs among them.
Our public schools are refocusing curricula to include greater emphasis on STEM – science, technology, engineering and math – components. This long-term commitment will pay major dividends over time.
Training programs are receiving renewed emphasis from such initiatives as the Upstate’s Career Skills Now (CSN) program (CareerSkillsNow.com), which helps individuals build careers with today’s manufacturers. CSN links unemployed or lower-skill workers to training for higher-skill, high-value jobs that are difficult to fill. Training can take as little as six weeks, after which there are placement opportunities at excellent starting wages for upwards of 80 percent of participants. A youth version of Career Skills Now has been launched in Greenville County to help those aged 17-21 gain essential training and launch careers.
Apprenticeship programs are receiving a boost through the Apprenticeship Carolina program (ApprenticeshipCarolina.com), which launched in 2007. Back then, only 90 companies in the state had apprenticeship programs, according to program director Brad Neese. Today, the program serves 670 companies and more than 11,000 apprentices. Neese and others credit a combination of the state’s German companies – BMW and Bosch brought the German apprenticeship system with them – along with a state tax credit of $1,000 per year per apprentice in helping build momentum.
In 2012, ACT chose South Carolina to participate in the Certified Work Ready Communities Program, and now certifies counties as South Carolina Work Ready Communities (SCWRC) based on meeting established high school graduation rates, soft skills development, business commitment, and National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) holders, which builds upon Work Keys, the gold standard in job skills assessment. Today, every South Carolina county is signed on to participate in SCWRC.
Phillips Staffing has trained three professionals and completed dozens of job profiles for employers who support SCWRC efforts, helping those organizations find ideal candidate matches for each profiled position. These profiling services are currently available at no cost to businesses through Gov. Haley’s Work Ready Communities initiative on a first-come, first-served basis.
South Carolina must demonstrate that we are capable of providing a pipeline of workers who have the requisite skills to do the jobs of tomorrow, or we risk losing the confidence – and investment – of companies who would consider relocating and expanding here.
