Engaging students is key to raising workforce, panelists say
Neil Henehan, director of Mon Valley Career & Technology Center, did double duty Tuesday as moderator of a panel discussion.
“I’d love to see employers fight over our students,” he said, smiling while delivering a serious message.
Henehan was the overseer and host of a workforce forum at the Speers center. The event, organized by Lisa Neil, president of Southwest Training Services Inc., focused on apprenticeship opportunities, career pathways, educational resources and identifying skill sets employers require.
The 2 1/2-hour session attracted an audience of about 40, who were informed and enlightened by a panel made up of John Tkach of Keystone Development Partnership; Katie Hager of Ductmate Industries (Monongahela and Charleroi); Walt Bentley of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 5; Daniel Good of Corelle Brands; and Brent Beistel of Beistel Machining (Donora).
They elaborated on various subjects, but a major focus was on engaging students – in middle school and high school – about what may be ahead career-wise. Many do not know what manufacturing jobs entail, and may not want to know, especially if they are being urged to go to college and pursue a perceived “better” job.
The reality, several speakers said, is some manufacturing jobs pay better than what some college graduates get, and without potentially massive student debt.
“We have to bring students in and show them what manufacturing is about,” Hager said. “We have to change that stigma, get them involved and make them successful.”
“Students need to know there are jobs available,” Good said. “There are options besides college. You can make $150,000, but you don’t have $150,000 in student debt.”
Bentley, of the Ironworkers, said, “We want to hear from young people we may want to hire. We need to keep them engaged. We need to know what they want to do. But kids have to be exposed to things before they are seniors in high school.”
Apprenticeship programs was another prominent topic, and Good proposed “getting groups of companies together on an apprenticeship program. We can do this in an economic way.” He expressed a sense of urgency on the matter.
“In the next six to 12 months, we have to start talking to each other.”
Hager agreed with the panelist seated two seats to her right. “We need to have multiple groups working together toward the same end,” she said. “We need a regular, scalable model that we can place anywhere in the country. This is how you close the jobs gap.”
Learning diverse skills, she added, can enhance an employee’s opportunities. “If we can point students in the right direction,” Hager said, “we can give them a diverse set of options. We can put them on a path and they can choose something on that path. That will lead to a good job they like.”
Diana Irey Vaughan, one of the Washington County commissioners, was the only elected official to attend. She advised educators and employers to work together. “It’s important to have skilled workers and keep them here. We need to use this opportunity for a brighter future for our community.”
An audience member, during a question-and-answer exchange following the panel discussion, offered a salient point about apprenticeship programs. “Women are an untapped workforce. Pennsylvania doesn’t have a lot of apprenticeship programs for women. You have to recruit in the middle schools and high schools, show what is out there.”