This is Not Your Ole’ School Manufacturing Job – CNC Skills Required!

I’m hearing lots of chit-chatter about bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States so we can get Americans working again. I’m all for it and believe it is the right move to make. However, my friends, let’s not convince ourselves that we’re ready to waltz our way into these positions.

According to information explained in this article [U.S. manufacturing sees shortage of skilled factory workers], the United States has had a shortage of qualified manufacturing workers for quite some time.  You can read the article in its entirety, but I want to highlights a few points from it so you can quickly see the challenges and opportunities facing our workforce.

• Our current losses have NOT left a surplus of skilled factory workers who have the skills needed for today’s manufacturing careers. On the contrary there are many factory workers who have lost their jobs because their manufacturing skills are out dated.

• The manufacturing industry does not have a shortage of workers who can run old-fashioned presses and lathes, but it does have a shortage of workers who can handle the new technology of the industry.

• Right now there are about 600,000 job openings in this industry, yet even with our record high unemployment rate the jobs remain open and unfulfillable.   This industry needs employees with specialized technical skills who can program in the numeric code called CNC, which is a code that instructs the automated production machine precisely how to do the work. Check out this conversation between two industry professionals; you will see it sounds nothing like the conversations that used to take place between machinists. 

• You can get the CNC skills needed by looking for training  and/or degree programs in machine tool technology from a community college or vocational school. More ROPs should consider offering these courses to high schoolers as well. (see the listing below)

• Just because the machinist needs to be more skilled does not mean this job is no longer a “shop job”.  Machinists will still work in noisy and somewhat unclean conditions wearing uniforms that get a little dirty, but these blue-collar guys will make approximately $4/hour more than their white-collar counterparts.

In closing, I’d like to take some words straight from the original article’s section called “New Recruiting Tactics”.  It says:

“The shortage has forced firms to adopt new tactics.  To fill slots, a few manufacturers have turned to hiring candidates who are untrained but have the inclination to work with their hands…. ‘We knew that we were not going to find the people with the right skills right off the streets,’ said Mark Pringle, director of operations at the plant. “So we tried to find people with the right aptitudes.’”

So, there you have it all of you who look forward to the re-birth of manufacturing in the United States.  We’ve got our work cut out for us.  My recommendation to anyone remotely interested in getting into manufacturing is this:  Don’t wait for the jobs to come back to your neighborhood before preparing for them.  You are now informed of the challenges and opportunities ahead, so get in school and prepare now.

Here are a few schools and training centers in California that offer CNC coursework.  If you know of any more, please let me know so I can add them to the list. You’ll need to brush up on those math (algebra), reading, and problem-solving skills to survive these courses.

City	School/Training Center	Website
Anaheim	North Orange County ROP	www.nocrop.tec.ca.us
Fresno	Fresno City College – CNC Degree	www.scccd.com
Fullerton	Fullerton College	http://machine.fullcoll.edu
Glendale	Glendale Community College – CNC Degree	http://www.glendale.cc.ca.us
Hayward	Chabot Community College – Certificate in CNC Programming	www.clpccd.cc.ca.us
Los Angeles	Los Angeles Trade Technical College – AS in CNC	http://www.lattc.cc.ca.us/
Modesto, CA	Modesto Junior College – Machine & Tool Tech	www.mjc.edu
Norwalk, CA	NTMA Training Center	http://trainingcenters.org
Ontario, CA	NTMA Training Center	http://trainingcenters.org
Reedley, CA	Reedley College – Manufacturing Technology Machine Shop	http://www.reedleycollege.edu/index.aspx?page=153
Riverside, CA	Masters Vocational College	www.mastersvoc.com
San Bernardino	San Bernardino Valley College	ccentra.sbccd.cc.ca.us
San Jose	TTL College	http://www.ttl-school.com/courses.htm
San Jose	San Jose City College  – Machine Technology (CNC)	www.sjcc.edu
San Jose	San Jose State University – Degree in www.engr.sjsu.edu/tech	www.engr.sjsu.edu/tech
Santa Ana	Santa Ana College – CNC degrees	www.sac.edu

Before you go, check out this youtube video:

I hope this helps get you moving in the right direction.  Blessings!
~ Michelle Walker-Wade

On Unemployment with No High School Diploma? You May be Forced to Get a GED

On February 2, 2012 The House-Senate discussions on approving an extension of unemployment benefits beyond March 1, 2012 has a proposal on the table that would require people who do not have a high school diploma to take G.E.D. classes as a condition of receiving more unemployment income.  They do not agree on the approach, but it is on the table for consideration.  See C-SPANS’s coverage of the discussion at the link below.  Forward the video to 34:00 min to hear the discussion on this issue; listen for about 30 minutes.

CLICK HERE TO SEE C-SPAN’S VIDEO OF THE COMMITTEE MEETING – (Make sure you’re watching the 2^nd of 3 meetings)

What are my thoughts on this matter?

I believe there should be some sort of condition for everyone receiving ‘extended’ UI benefits, however there must be additional considerations included. As one who has 10+ years of experience in adult education, I know many adult students who are low literacy, low skill and therefore do not have enough literacy to comprehend the GED textbooks, which start at about 5th grade reading level. These students require a fair amount of additional support services and time before they can even tackle the GED curriculum. GED is not necessarily purposed to BUILD literacy skills as much as it is to show proof that you have them.

Secondly, if a person is out of work because the work they’ve done most of their life is now obsolete, that person needs job re-training along with GED test preparation, and will need to accomplish both in the limited amount of time provided in the UI extension. This is a unrealistic expectation.

Thirdly, many adult students – who are retirement age – and have qualified for extended UI benefits along with job retraining benefits under other training benefit plans often attend school/training just as a means to delay receiving their social security for 2 years, yet having no intention to return to the workforce. These folks are a challenge in the classroom because they are there for the wrong reasons and they do not take the training seriously.

On the flip side, I personally know of many people who are “comfortable” only depending on their unemployment income and who have not made any real effort to find employment. They did, however, start looking for work when they were unsure if the December extension would pass.

Something needs to be done to get folks moving and engaged back into the workforce but requiring GED for UI isn’t it.

“Occupy Student Debt”? I Understand… But I Must Pay Up

I attended Oral Roberts University for ONE year studying Christian Education & Psychology. After seeing the amount of debt accumulated for that year, my parents said: “Come home…” I cried and cried… prayed asked God for a miracle so I could stay at ORU. But, to no avail.

I went home, started working as an accounting clerk and went to school part-time studying accounting. I continued working in the field of accounting for several years while preparing to do more meaningful work.  I eventually got there.

Years later I do not regret it one bit. I’m degree’d in Liberal Studies and Business Communications, and have hard-core skills and work experience that allow me to fund into ministry work. Having graduated from a Holy Names University, a private, Catholic institution, I took out even more student loans.  I am still paying for my education, but in my situation I believe I glorify God by paying my loans.  However, (just as an FYI) I neither agree nor disagree with the Occupy Study Loan initiative – but I certainly understand.

Related Articles:

• Occupy Wall Street Moves Into New Phase With Student Debt Refusal Campaign
• America’s Financial Institutions and Student Lenders — Attention: OWS “Occupy Student Debt” Committee Has Something to Say
• Occupy Student Loans???
• Marketplace Ministry – Christian Young Adults Get in Position

Skills Needed by School Clerical Support Staff

We surveyed clerical support workers at several K-12 school-sites to find out what skills current school clerical support workers needed most to do there jobs more efficiently (click to see results). We also surveyed local residents to find out what barriers kept them from taking the courses needed to improve their work and career outlook. The number one response was: time. If time is limited but you want to gain more skills, online classes may be a good alternative to traditional classes.
School clerical support staff; consider these online classes as an option to learn ways to work more efficiently and effectively.
 

Communications

•  Grammar Refresher- Gain confidence in your ability to produce clean, grammatically correct documents and speeches.  (click here: http://alturl.com/t2mso)

• Effective Business Writing – Improve your career prospects by learning how to develop powerful written documents that draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue to the end. (click here http://alturl.com/pt7f8)

Administrative Support

• Administrative Assistant Fundamentals – Prepare to take advantage of the many new job opportunities in health care, legal services, and other industries. (click here: http://alturl.com/54mhm)

• Introduction to Nonprofit Management – Develop the skills and strategies you need to become an integral part of one of America’s fastest growing service sectors. (click here: http://alturl.com/hevub)

Computer & Technology Skills

• Intermediate Microsoft Word 2007 – Learn more advanced features of Microsoft Word 2007, which enable you to create an index, a list of figures, and a table of contents, do desktop publishing, perform a mail merge, and use timesaving macros. (NOTE: If you do not feel ready for Intermediate Microsoft Word, take Introduction for Microsoft Word 2007 first). (Click here: http://alturl.com/rn8b4)

• Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2007 – Do you work with numbers? You need to know Excel. Learn the secrets of this powerful application. (click here: http://alturl.com/cnk8y)

• Photographing People with Your Digital Camera – Learn to take beautiful pictures of adults, children, and babies. (click here: http://alturl.com/a3amu)

Other Recommended Courses

• Handling Medical Emergencies – Every second counts during a medical emergency. Learn how to respond if someone needs your help. (Click here: http://alturl.com/p2par)

• Designing Effective Websites – Learn powerful graphic design techniques and build Web sites that are both attractive and wickedly effective. (click here: http://alturl.com/jxyyf)

• Introduction to Adobe Acrobat 9 – Create PDF documents and more with Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro, and learn to use many of the software’s time- and cost-saving features. (click here: http://alturl.com/igq56)

If you want to become the Office Manager, consider these courses as well:

• Fundamentals of Supervision and Management – Learn the people skills required to motivate and delegate, and learn tools for solving problems and resolving conflicts. (http://alturl.com/wrnoh)

• Accounting Fundamentals – Gain a marketable new skill by learning the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, financial reporting, and more. (http://alturl.com/jznd8)

• Accounting Fundamentals II – Give yourself skills that are in high demand by exploring corporate accounting with a veteran instructor. (http://alturl.com/k3vjj)

• Introduction to QuickBooks 2009 or 2010 – Learn how to quickly and efficiently gain control over the financial aspects of your business. (Click here: http://alturl.com/8i7s6)

Check it out and share your feedback.  Thanks!

- Michelle Walker-Wade