Many manufacturers across the nation are trying to hire factory workers but are running up against an educational gap. Nebraska’s community colleges are filling the need.
The problem is a familiar one, here in the Midlands and nationwide: the mismatch between the skills that manufacturers need and the training of so many of the unemployed.
Many companies need to hire workers who can run sophisticated computerized machinery and follow complex blueprints. Workers also need a higher proficiency in math than typical factory workers had in the past.
Employers are looking for aptitude as much as specialized skills, “with the right mind-set and intelligence,” as one pharmaceutical company CEO recently put it.
In Nebraska, community colleges are stepping up to the challenge. They pride themselves on keeping up with the needs of new businesses and providing the best training to meet those needs.
Consider Northeast Community College. Dr. John Blaylock, vice president of educational services, is hands-on when it comes to innovation. He points to multiple ways in which the college is connecting students with real-world business needs.
Northeast is training students to service wind turbines for wind farms, for instance, but it also is providing graduates with skills needed to enter many different types of technical occupations.
An example is the electromechanical program, which educates students to run computerized manufacturing systems. Student learn drafting, and they can go into residential or commercial construction, among other areas, Blaylock said.
The welding program has become equally sophisticated and up-to-date. Students use the latest computerized equipment and can step into jobs that require such skills as manufacturing of components.
The school is deeply involved in renewable energy and “green” construction, a fast-developing field.
Metropolitan Community College, too, is ahead of the technical game. It has a grant to train 150 new health information technology professionals, who will figure prominently in the increasingly important electronic health records field. And the college is working with businesses and industries in Blair, Neb., on a process operations control program.
Metro, too, stresses green programs. Students training in how to weatherize homes to optimize energy consumption have reworked four homes owned by low-income Omahans to reduce energy costs.
The school offers a degree in data center management, giving students the technical and business skills to enter careers in the design and management of energy-efficient data centers. And its Information Technology Career Academy teaches tech topics such as webpage development, game design and computer programing.
Dennis Baack, director of the Nebraska Community College Association, reported that the state’s six community colleges have seen an increase in enrollment of nearly 13 percent in the past year.
The National Association of Manufacturers and others surveyed 779 industrial companies last year. They found that 32 percent of them reported “moderate to serious” skills shortages. And 63 percent of life science companies and 45 percent of energy firms reported the same.
Perhaps more of these companies should relocate to the Midlands. The type of people they need are already here. And if they’re not, the state’s community colleges will train them fast.
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