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Employer Quotes
The quotes below are from employers in this industry: Manufacturing
They are talking about this topic: Educational Partnerships
The quotes below are about this issue:
Many employers speak of the need for businesses and educational institutions to work with K-12 institutions to educate children about the manufacturing industry and related career opportunities. It would also be beneficial to educate guidance counselors and parents about the manufacturing industry to further enhance the possibility that youth consider manufacturing employment opportunities.
| "We have decided that we need to go to these 'career days' at the high school and the middle schools to let students know that, if they're from the surrounding area, there are career fields available for people that may not be interested in a four-year degree. Or maybe they want a career that's more hands-on. We want them to know that they can truly have a career. I think programs have disappeared—shop class and all that. So, someone needs to let them know that there are positions available—whether it be in welding or something else. It's not something that they are aware of." | Southwest |
| "I think that—if a kid isn't planning on going to go to a four-year college—I don't think they get much guidance at the schools." | Southwest |
| "I think one of the big things with the program is that it gets young kids interested in both that high-level engineering and mid-level engineering. It's not just about the four-year engineering program. It's about those kids who are very mechanically inclined, but they don't want to be a four-year engineering student—but maybe they want to do something that's related to engineering. One of the things that I know with our program in [unknown college] is that they have those classes full. They can't keep up with the demand because these kids want to get into those programs. I think the big piece—where employers come into play—is getting together with the moms and whoever else is involved in the decision-making process, and being able to get in front of those kids and say, 'If you're interested in this type of stuff, let me tell you more about it. Let me bring you into our facility so I can show you what you can do with those interests.' We can teach them what it is and what it means. But how do we get them to those institutions that give them the programs needed?" | Southwest |
| "The reason that there are fewer welding classes is because there's no enrollment. And there's no enrollment because no one talks to kids about manufacturing careers. So, we need kind of a marketing campaign; we need to do a better job with that. And the other thing we continue to hear is that parents—and most guidance counselors—tell the kids, 'You will get a four-year degree, whether you'll be able to use it or not.' So I think it's kind of changing that mindset—to get them to understand that you can have a great career with a two-year technical degree as a welder. And you can stay close to home; you don't have to go far away. So, that's the really big problem that we continue to hear about in manufacturing. And, if you think about it, the analogy is that there was a significant nursing shortage several years ago, and the healthcare industry has done a great job with solving their problem by saying, 'Hey, this is a great industry for a career.' We should think about that." | Southwest |
| "You've got to change the model. Because the model worked really well until you take the pool of candidates out, and then it just failed. I think what we ought to do, as an industry, is help these people fill up the pool of candidates again. Because, if we have candidates that go into these programs, everything tends to roll along pretty good." | Southwest |
| "I think we, as employers, need to do a better job of coaching the schools on our expectations. Now, even an automotive technician needs really high-tech skills because everything's computerized. So, how we think about some of these jobs needs to change; our models need to change. Someone who wants to be a welder, they should have A's in math and science. We need to recruit some really smart kids to all these programs." | Southwest |
| "I need more people in high school being educated to understand the fact that—even to go work on a production line—you're going to need to go to technical school. And if they're going to go to technical school, there are some skills that you need to work on. You need to have a basic understanding of logic. You need to have a basic understanding of math. You need to be able to use a computer fairly effectively. You need to be able to problem-solve and troubleshoot. You need to be able to have all of these higher skills when, good golly, the high school's having trouble teaching them how to read and write. I need them three steps beyond that, and the only thing that can get them there is technical school. So, the more people you can put into your system, the bigger candidate pool I have to look through to try to find the people that are going to be able to do my jobs." | Southwest |
| "Students don't know that these job opportunities exist and that there's a demand for qualified candidates. So, if we could somehow let students—or even incumbent workers—know, 'Here's a field that's a great job, and you can get a certificate in a certain amount of time.' I think that's what we're trying to identify. Where are these opportunities to educate students about these options? And you know MnSCU's going to offer the program if they can fill it. So, how do you fill those classes?" | Southwest |
| "We need to drive interest and encourage people to go through these programs, so that they come out and are available to be placed for employment." | Southwest |