Preparing students to fill manufacturing 'skills gap'
The harrowing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have tested all of us over the past year-plus.
The virus has changed our lives in ways we couldn't have guessed. Through it all, the workers of the manufacturing sector have persevered, showing up and continuing to perform their duties under difficult conditions. These men and women have ensured that the people of Illinois and the rest of the nation could get the products, tools, and equipment they needed.
As proud as I am of this group of essential workers, I'm just as proud of the manufacturing students who have overcome the adversity of a global pandemic to continue their manufacturing schooling. Despite restrictions on gathering, disruptions in school schedules, and the difficulties of remote learning, these young people continued on their path to become the next generation of manufacturing professionals.
We recently honored over 50 of those students from nine participating northern Illinois high schools at the Technology & Manufacturing Association's 29th annual Precision Machining Competition. This contest fosters student interest in pursuing skilled, high-paying, high-demand careers in advanced manufacturing.
Emblematic of the manufacturing sector's perseverance during the pandemic, these hardworking students created more than 60 projects that showcased a wide range of manufacturing-related skills essential to modern machining.
Participating high schools included Cary-Grove, Hampshire, Rockford Jefferson, Lake Park, McHenry East, McHenry West, first-time competitor Ridgewood, Streamwood and Wheeling. The students heard from several TMA members, while also having the opportunity to connect with local manufacturers and learn more about possible careers.
The Precision Machining Competition is not only one of TMA's most effective initiatives for career recruitment into precision metalworking, but one of its most important as well. That's because experts estimate that we'll fall far short of filling the demand for skilled manufacturing jobs in the years to come.
The next decade will see the creation of about 3.5 million new manufacturing jobs. Unfortunately, a precision metalworking "skills gap" means that well over half of those jobs - as many as two million - could go unfilled. This gap could leave hundreds of thousands of needed manufacturing position open, unless something changes.
We want to be a part of that change. That's why initiatives like the Precision Machining Competition are so critical. They highlight the demand for technology and precision manufacturing skills in today's workforce, making it clear that those skills are a pathway to a solid, well-paying career with lots of room for advancement.
Students who pursue an education in the manufacturing industry are setting themselves up for immediate employment and an attainable career ladder in a dynamic sector with amazing innovation. The annual Precision Machining Competition celebrates these inventive students, and they'll be the ones who will help us close that skills gap in the years to come.
I applaud their hard work, especially in the face of circumstances that could have easily sidetracked them. I hope that the example they set will inspire other young people as much as it has inspired me and our TMA members.
• Steve Rauschenberger is the president of the Technology & Manufacturing Association, which represents and supports manufacturers in the Chicago metropolitan area and surrounding counties. TMA has almost 1,000 members and represents over 32,000 employees and nearly 26 million square feet of manufacturing in Illinois.