Searching for skilled workers
Manufacturing Alliance says help needed to replace retiring Baby Boomers
Manufacturing executives from across the region gathered Wednesday at Malvern’s newest brewery to collaborate on ways to attract skilled workers to their jobs.
The manufacturers, who are part of the Manufacturing Alliance of Chester and Delaware Counties, met up at Locust Lane Brewery for the organization’s summer networking event to collaborate on best practices in operations, recruiting and hiring, training and apprenticeships.
While the latest industry reports show continued expansion in the U.S. manufacturing sector, local manufacturers are facing a shortage of skilled workers, the organization said.
Manufacturers attribute the trend to a variety of factors, including the retirement of their Baby Boomer workforce, as well as the false perception that a college degree is the only way to achieve an income that can support a family.
“Many people don’t realize
that the modern manufacturing job is well paid, safe, clean and high tech,” says Ralf Weiser of Aerzen USA Corp.. “We want to increase awareness among parents, school counselors and students
that manufacturing can be a springboard to a career and in some cases an employer-paid college education.”
As of November 2016, a total of 19,992 people were employed in manufacturing fields in Chester County, according to the Chester County Economic Development Council. The
most in-demand jobs are engineers, computer-controlled machine tool operators, maintenance workers for machinery, cross-functional technician, as well as welders, cutters, solderers and brazers, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor.
The region is uniquely positioned to support manufacturing
jobs, with access to natural resources and raw materials, employee training opportunities, as well as proximity to suppliers and demand markets, the Manufacturing Alliance contends. The region also has access to more than a dozen education institutions that specialize in the manufacturing
sector.
The Manufacturing Alliance of Chester and Delaware Counties (MACC/ DC) is an initiative of the Chester County Economic Development Council in collaboration with Delaware County Community College and the Chester County Workforce Development Board.
For more information about The Manufacturing Alliance of Chester and Delaware Counties, visit https://www.maccdcpa.org
To contact Business Writer Brian McCullough, call 610-235-2655 or send an email to bmccullough@21stcenturymedia.com.