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Employer Quotes
The quotes below are from employers in this industry: Manufacturing
They are talking about this topic: Experience & Credentials
The quotes below are about this issue:
Most employers say they look for entry-level hires that have some post-secondary education. Minimally, this means a certificate, but a two-year degree is preferred. Most employers state that a high school degree or GED is generally inadequate for various positions; nonetheless, many have had to hire at this level due to the labor shortage.
| "Thirty years ago, we could hire high school graduates to work on machines because the differential between what they could do and what they had to know—that step was relatively small and we could get them up that step—technological advancements that step is now very big. So, you have to have the educational background or we don't hire you. Period." | Central |
| "Our company is not any bigger than most around this table. Seventy percent of our jobs require a technical college background. Eighteen percent require university training. There are only 12 jobs out of 100 for which a high school diploma is enough. And you fill those jobs, and those people never ever leave. And if they lose that job, they're screwed because what are they going to do next? So, the differential between the haves and the have-nots is an educational background. And it's all about motivation and having those kind of capabilities. And the technical colleges and lots of other universities that are tied to us, listen to us, because we have advisory committees. We're not shy about telling them what we look for. So, most of these things match up pretty well. But to hire off the street, we can't do that. They break things." | Central |
| "The differential between two- and four-year educations—and between professionals and crafts—is blurred very much so. And that will continue, I think. That's the future." | Central |
| "On the other end of the spectrum, we do have, I will say, more AA degree graduates than we've ever had. However, we also have an awful lot that—yes, it'd be really nice if they'd at least finish their certificate." | Central |
| "In the end, it's only going to do us better by having somebody who continues their formal education." | Central |