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Health & Fitness

Senate Manufacturing Caucus

As Co-Chairs of the Senate Manufacturing Caucus, Senator Kim Ward and I recently hosted a meeting at Hamill Manufacturing Company in Trafford. The purpose of the meeting was to bring members of the caucus together with representatives from the manufacturing sector to highlight the economic importance of the industry to our state and to discuss the challenges confronting the industry.

Manufacturing is the third largest industry in Southwestern Pennsylvania at $12.6 billion and the second fastest growing industry in the region. The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) experienced a 10.3% increase in its Manufacturing GDP from 2010 to 2011, which is significantly higher than throughout the state (2.3%) and the country (6.2%). Gross regional product per employee is one important measure of productivity and the encouraging news is that our region experienced an increase of 8.5% last year, outpacing Pennsylvania overall which was at 1.5%.

Among all the promising reports we heard during our discussions, the one collective message that resonated most with me was the issue of workforce and job training. Speaker after speaker stressed how workforce development is always their greatest focus and toughest challenge. Although manufacturing employment numbers are going up slowly, much work needs to be done toward increasing the numbers of skilled workers. The jobs are there – the issue is a trained workforce. Hiring would be greater if there were a larger pool of employees.

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In working toward a solution to this problem, I believe we must look first at our education system. We need to integrate a curriculum that includes a better focus on STEM programs (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). Making STEM a more integral part of educational and workforce development systems, will create a quality workforce that meets the new standards of today and tomorrow’s manufacturers. The removal of many technical education programs such as metal class, shop and auto class, has caused long term damage to the manufacturing industry. Focus needs to be placed on improving and expanding quality workforce development programs and replacing those that no longer meet the needs of today’s manufacturers.

Ultimately, this could create an environment where manufacturing is viewed as a desirable career and one given equal consideration by parents, students and school systems, including guidance counselors, when determining a child’s future role in the workforce. Today, most students are steered to only consider a four-year college education or beyond. While this is important, we must not ignore the importance of technical careers and the opportunities they provide. The concept of manufacturing is different than what it was several years ago. We need to address the image and shortcomings in the educational process to enable manufacturers to attract the talent needed to grow their business.

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The manufacturing sector provides good, sustainable wages with good benefits for employees. The average annual compensation in manufacturing is $64,913. The average wage in manufacturing represents a steady annual growth, with a total of 7.3% increase in the last five years. Manufacturing wages are still 17.4% higher than the overall average wage. A strong manufacturing sector helps grow and sustain our middle class.

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