Retiring Baby Boomers leave hole in the job market

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With Baby Boomers retiring , they are leaving a hole in the skilled trades job market. Companies have been recruiting high school kids from high schools that offer vocational education programs,
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The article below was lifted from the Wall Street Journal,
“PHILADELPHIA—Elijah Rios won’t graduate from high school until next year, but he already has a job offer—one that pays $68,000 a year.
Rios, 17 years old, is a junior taking welding classes at Father Judge, a Catholic high school in Philadelphia that works closely with companies looking for workers in the skilled trades. Employers are dealing with a shortage of such workers as baby boomers retire. They have increasingly begun courting high-school students like Rios—a hiring strategy they say is likely to become even more crucial in the coming years.
When Rios graduates next year, he plans to work as a fabricator at a local equipment maker for nuclear, recycling and other sectors, a job that pays $24 an hour, plus regular overtime and paid vacations.

Increased efforts to recruit high-schoolers into professions such as plumbing, electrical work and welding have helped spur a revitalization of shop classes in many districts. More businesses are teaming up with high schools to enable students to work part-time, earning money as well as academic credit.

Jenny Cantrill, 18, is working at Cannistraro, a plumbing and HVAC mechanical contractor that hosted her summer camp in Boston. She credits the camp for piquing her interest in plumbing, and accepted Cannistraro’s job offer without looking elsewhere. “I already had that connection,” she says.


A decade ago, administrators often snubbed employers in the skilled trades who tried to get a table at a high school career fair, says Aaron Hilger, CEO of the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association. But with more high schools trying to give students alternatives to college, he says, that attitude has changed.”

I say it’s about time schools and employers are realizing that college is not for everyone, these programs allow young people to enter the work force and make a livable wage without the cost and debt of college.
 
As someone who taught in "trade school," I completely agree with this article.
Jobs that can't be sent overseas. When you're up to your ass in water, you can't wait for a plumber from India. Homegrown jobs for homegrown folk.

I'll add another avenue to a lifelong career.... the military. They use plumbers, carpenters, welders, auto mechanics.... 'bout every career you can think of, the military has.
Bonus: It don't cost a penny. Quiet the opposite, you get paid while you learn.
 
college is not for everyone, these programs allow young people to enter the work force and make a livable wage without the cost and debt of college.
No shit, really? Duh...

I'll add another avenue to a lifelong career.... the military. They use plumbers, carpenters, welders, auto mechanics.... 'bout every career you can think of, the military has.
Bonus: It don't cost a penny. Quiet the opposite, you get paid while you learn.
Out of my 22 year career, at least 3 of them were spent in school. At full pay. With no tuition. I'd have needed at least a 2 year Associates to even get started in electronics. Of course, like college, the military isn't for everyone.
 
My son is 14 and will be entering the 9th grade next year. He is not a great student and really doesn't like school and knows he does not want to go to college. He has ADD which also hinders him a little. I have been steering him towards the trades for a while now. His HS has a tech program but I don't think he is eligible until the 11th grade. I am not college educated but was fortunate to secure a job in the transportation industry. I do alright, but these kids could be starting out making what has taken me nearly 30 years in my industry to get where I am.
 
...I don't think he is eligible until the 11th grade....
That's one of my biggest gripes about my high school when I went there.

Took a metal shop class in 7th grade. Sheetmetal, spot welding, fun stuff. Had a blast making a little box. Wanted to take the sequel in 8th grade, the bastards put me in a sewing class.

Took auto shop in high school senior year, the year AFTER I graduated they built a welding lab and started offering welding classes.
 
But can you still sew ?

Yeah in high school I got put into a typing class " you'll use those skills in the future "
I hated typing and there were too many dollies in the class for me to concentrate , I lasted a week and got booted
And here I am typing on a website
Who knew
 
But can you still sew ?

Yeah in high school I got put into a typing class " you'll use those skills in the future "
I hated typing and there were too many dollies in the class for me to concentrate , I lasted a week and got booted
And here I am typing on a website
Who knew
Yeah, well. After mechanicing and electrifying, the two most useful skills I learned were sewing and typing. Rough sewing, I admit I'm no seamster but it does come in handy from time to time. I'm half inclined to get an old Singer and learn machine sewing for seat covers, etc.
I recall some grizzled auld mariner said to me that sewing and cooking were two things every old salt should know.
Or maybe it was fornicating and gambling, I wasn't paying attention.
 
My son is 14 and will be entering the 9th grade next year. He is not a great student and really doesn't like school and knows he does not want to go to college.

Yeah, I have two adult sons and a daughter. None of them put much effort into high school, none were going to college.
While they were still in high school, I gathered material from every trade and vocational school in our area and I offered to put them through the school of their choice, and it wasn’t just manual labor stuff either, there was CAD design, medical, legal, IT tech…..along with all the trade crafts. It was a lot of opportunities. The boys just flat refused, our daughter selected to go to school to learn office skills, how to operate computer software common to offices and such.
She went to work right away and has parlayed one job into another until she’s doing really well. The boys struggled to find work. :shrug:
The county I live in now has numerous tech campuses that offer courses that can be completed while still in high school! And they are absolutely free to high school kids.
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And for those who are out of high school, they teach some really good fields for a reasonable cost,
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But can you still sew ?

Yeah in high school I got put into a typing class " you'll use those skills in the future "
I hated typing and there were too many dollies in the class for me to concentrate , I lasted a week and got booted
And here I am typing on a website
Who knew

I never could to begin with. I loathed every minute of that class.

Kinda like my last job :lmao:
 
I'm a professor of automotive technology at a community college in Baltimore.
https://www.ccbcmd.edu/Programs-and-Courses/SBTL/Automotive-Technology/index.html
We have Ford, GM, and now Chrysler as stand-alone programs, and our Global program is supported by Nissan, Volkswagen, and Subaru, as well as the Chesapeake Automotive Business Association.
I teach the Ford ASSET program primarily, and our Global program occasionally. I actually established the Global program in 2008.
Our programs are registered apprenticeships with the state of MD. If our students need to pay for the program themselves, the AAS degree is about $18k, all-in; tuition, books, fees, etc.. Many students qualify for at least some sort of tuition assistance. Lots of area employers are offering tuition reimbursement, or some other type of financial assistance. Additionally, the work co-op portion of the degree is a paid, meaning the student earns more than the tuition over the two year duration of the program. On top of that, some students qualify for the MD Promise, basically a full-ride scholarship.
Students participating in the manufacturer's programs have the opportunity to complete 100% of that manufacturer's certifications, along with ASE certifications, which we provide vouchers for, so that testing is no-cost to the student.
I just graduated my largest class in almost twenty years, 21 successful students. Our Global program is near 40, plus our night time student graduates.
With the majority of the area technicians at, or even beyond retirement age, new blood is vital. The biggest challenge is getting the employers to understand that 80s are over, and you won't have ten experienced techs knocking at your door Monday morning, after running a want ad in the Sunday paper. Even worse, the techs actually expect to be paid! And paid fairly! :rolleyes: The businesses that get it are very good at finding trainable candidates, and filtering them through a program like ours. They're building trained, certified, experienced techs that have at least some level of loyalty to their employer.
I have recent grads that are in the $35-$40 flatrate/hr pay range right out of the program. I'm able to see these guys and gals being able to buy a house and start a family in their early 20s, even in the mid-Atlantic region, in less than 5 years from the start of the program, with no debt.
Verizon, Amtrak, BGE, local and state government fleets are always after these folks.
I even have one new graduate (last month) that was working at a small family shop. Upon graduation, the owner took him aside, and after talking with him about his future plans, GAVE him the business! The owner is up in years, no one else in the family is interested in running it, and he decided it was better to give the business to Nicco, rather than close up shop. Keep in mind, Nicco is 20 years old! He's a brilliant, dedicated, determined young man. I had the pleasure of teaching his older brother a few years ago, as well. His brother just became the maintenance and repair supervisor of the Baltimore County school bus fleet.
I get to see, first hand, how positively impactful education in the trades can be.
I love my job.
 
I'm a professor of automotive technology at a community college in Baltimore.
https://www.ccbcmd.edu/Programs-and-Courses/SBTL/Automotive-Technology/index.html
We have Ford, GM, and now Chrysler as stand-alone programs, and our Global program is supported by Nissan, Volkswagen, and Subaru, as well as the Chesapeake Automotive Business Association.
I teach the Ford ASSET program primarily, and our Global program occasionally. I actually established the Global program in 2008.
Our programs are registered apprenticeships with the state of MD. If our students need to pay for the program themselves, the AAS degree is about $18k, all-in; tuition, books, fees, etc.. Many students qualify for at least some sort of tuition assistance. Lots of area employers are offering tuition reimbursement, or some other type of financial assistance. Additionally, the work co-op portion of the degree is a paid, meaning the student earns more than the tuition over the two year duration of the program. On top of that, some students qualify for the MD Promise, basically a full-ride scholarship.
Students participating in the manufacturer's programs have the opportunity to complete 100% of that manufacturer's certifications, along with ASE certifications, which we provide vouchers for, so that testing is no-cost to the student.
I just graduated my largest class in almost twenty years, 21 successful students. Our Global program is near 40, plus our night time student graduates.
With the majority of the area technicians at, or even beyond retirement age, new blood is vital. The biggest challenge is getting the employers to understand that 80s are over, and you won't have ten experienced techs knocking at your door Monday morning, after running a want ad in the Sunday paper. Even worse, the techs actually expect to be paid! And paid fairly! :rolleyes: The businesses that get it are very good at finding trainable candidates, and filtering them through a program like ours. They're building trained, certified, experienced techs that have at least some level of loyalty to their employer.
I have recent grads that are in the $35-$40 flatrate/hr pay range right out of the program. I'm able to see these guys and gals being able to buy a house and start a family in their early 20s, even in the mid-Atlantic region, in less than 5 years from the start of the program, with no debt.
Verizon, Amtrak, BGE, local and state government fleets are always after these folks.
I even have one new graduate (last month) that was working at a small family shop. Upon graduation, the owner took him aside, and after talking with him about his future plans, GAVE him the business! The owner is up in years, no one else in the family is interested in running it, and he decided it was better to give the business to Nicco, rather than close up shop. Keep in mind, Nicco is 20 years old! He's a brilliant, dedicated, determined young man. I had the pleasure of teaching his older brother a few years ago, as well. His brother just became the maintenance and repair supervisor of the Baltimore County school bus fleet.
I get to see, first hand, how positively impactful education in the trades can be.
I love my job.

Well said, Jim.
I taught aircraft maintenance at AIM for about 15 yrs. You're not just a teacher, you're a father figure some of these kids never had... you're a financial advisor... forget what you thought being a teacher means... it's so much more.

One of my students rose to become the Director of Maintenance for Ross Perot's aviation division. One rose through the ranks at General Atomics on the UAV Design team, improving the Predator drone. One wound up as the lead mechanic at Worlds of Fun, maintaining the roller coasters.

It doesn't matter the field, learning how to turn a wrench open up a world of possibilities. I wouldn't trade that time I spent teaching for all the tea in China.
 
I'm a professor of automotive technology at a community college in Baltimore.

I taught aircraft maintenance at AIM for about 15 yrs. You're not just a teacher, you're a father figure some of these kids never had... you're a financial advisor... forget what you thought being a teacher means... it's so much more.

Great stories guys! You’ve made a positive difference in a lot of young peoples lives and had very rewarding careers!
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Well said, Jim.
I taught aircraft maintenance at AIM for about 15 yrs. You're not just a teacher, you're a father figure some of these kids never had... you're a financial advisor... forget what you thought being a teacher means... it's so much more.

One of my students rose to become the Director of Maintenance for Ross Perot's aviation division. One rose through the ranks at General Atomics on the UAV Design team, improving the Predator drone. One wound up as the lead mechanic at Worlds of Fun, maintaining the roller coasters.

It doesn't matter the field, learning how to turn a wrench open up a world of possibilities. I wouldn't trade that time I spent teaching for all the tea in China.
Absolutely. I just hit the 20 year mark at the college, planning on another 12. It's fantastic watching these folks grow. I've been told more than once that I've been like a second dad to some of these 'kids' ☺️. I'm just dreading the day I see the child of one of my former students enrolled. Then I'll know I'm old! 😂
 
Mike Rowe screams Vokey Tech from the rooftops. Wish he'd be sec of education.
I think the root problem was many school boards, admin became inmates running the jail. Their experience was all about college and that life choice, They looked down long noses at any other life choices and actively denigrated any that were looking towards industry of any type. Add in college institutional bias against capitalism and here we are.
In the 60's dad was a local plant manager making automotive jacks and body shop equipment. He had the company donate brand new MIGs to the high school to supplement the old stick welders the shop class had.
I'm sure there was some push back about training local industrial workers being beneath the school's mission. I'd be willing to bet that is still an issue.
Supplying up to date shop equipment and teachers trained to use it is an expensive and difficult never-ending process. Getting industry on board not easy either. Wisconsin has a pretty good tech school system in spite of push back and turf fights from the university.
Step son parlayed a two year tech school electronics course into a career as a systems design/builder at a cutting edge electron microscope company. They supply research labs and universities world wide. His first job was repairing pin ball.... LOL
Way too much ADD is more of a lack of education paths for those who are not destined to be desk sitters.
 
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