Nicolet College event shows need for skilled workers

From rhinelanderdailynews.com: “Nicolet College seminar shows need for skilled workers” — With the November election paradoxically both approaching quickly and dragging its feet in getting here, candidates from both parties have essentially rutted themselves into the same mundane rhetoric.

Listen to either side, and all you’ll hear is, “jobs, jobs, jobs, boo my opponent, jobs, jobs, possible war, jobs.”

But according to Jim Morgan, president of the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) Foundation, the problem isn’t a lack of jobs, but instead a lack of skilled, qualified workers ready and willing to take the positions available.

That was the main point of Morgan’s message Thursday during a seminar at Nicolet College that involved a highly varied audience – SDR Superintendent Roger Erdahl, NCSS Administrator Teri Phalin, UW-Superior outreach specialist and academic advisor Dan Kuzlik, Nicolet Board of Trustees president and local business leader Ron Zimmerman, along with other local business and educational leaders.

Morgan started out by explaining his views on what he calls the “workforce paradox.”

Morgan pointed out that while there still is 7 percent unemployment, many manufacturing businesses cannot find workers qualified to fill the positions available.

This is a big problem for Wisconsin, according to Morgan, because manufacturing makes up such a large part of the state’s economy, especially in the Northwoods.

His solution? A multi-tiered approach at getting children interested and knowledgeable about the opportunities in the manufacturing field, while then providing them with the opportunities needed to gain the skills required in manufacturing.

Morgan said the biggest problem facing Wisconsin manufacturers today is the misconception that students need to end up getting a four-year degree in order to be successful in the world.

Because of this misconception, many students don’t even fathom going to a technical college to continue their education, and therefore, there is a serious lack of workers educated in the skills needed for many manufacturing jobs.

One of Morgan’s more interesting statistics was that about 70 percent of the jobs available require more than a high school diploma, but don’t necessarily require a four-year degree.

So while students are being indoctrinated by tradition that they need to go to a four-year college to be successful, a vast multitude of jobs are unfilled due to a lack of skilled laborers, Morgan said.

So we know what needs to be done – we need to get students knowledgeable about the manufacturing field and the opportunities presented by the state’s technical colleges – but how do we go about doing it?

According to Morgan, it’s a simple as communication.

Morgan and the WMC Foundation are calling for more open and honest communication with students starting as early as middle school.

If manufacturers can get students knowledgeable and interested in that line of work – by visiting schools, inviting students on tours of factories, and getting accurate information out about what a manufacturing employee truly does and what kind of salary they can expect – more students will consider a career in manufacturing instead of just believing the old stereotype that a factory worker is a poor, dirty, uneducated individual, according to Morgan.

And it’s not just the students that manufacturers need to communicate better with, but teachers as well, Morgan said.

Morgan points out that teachers, through no fault of their own, often encourage children to strive for a four-year degree because that is seen as the norm for being successful and, frankly, that’s what a teacher’s job is — to make local students successful.

Morgan said the problem is that many teachers believe the same stereotypes about factory workers as students and parents tend to believe.

Manufacturers need to work with teachers to show them that the field is growing, technology is advancing at an extremely fast rate, and skilled and knowledgeable individuals need to be able to take up the mantle after an aging workforce retires, according to Morgan.

But in the end, Morgan said, it’s simply about throwing away the old factory worker stereotypes and educating students, teachers, and parents alike about the how the manufacturing industry is growing and advancing and is ready to offer solid, good-paying jobs to those individuals with the skills needed to operate some serious equipment.