Skilled Workforce: Alternative Jobs That Don’t Need a 4-year Degree

by | Mar 24, 2015

According to an article by Andy Szal on Inddist.com, even the Federal Government has identified good paying jobs that don’t require a 4-year degree.

The agency expects those jobs to grow by 17 percent through 2022 and that prospects for qualified applicants “should be very good.”

Electrician & Breaker Panel

Most of the other positions on the agency’s list worked in building maintenance or construction, including building inspectors, iron and steelworkers, electricians, pipefitters, masons and elevator installers. Many jobs receive on-the-job training or post-secondary training.

According to Jeff Owens, president of Advanced Technology Services, the retiring baby boomer generation has a huge impact on the skilled labor shortage.” With the youngest of this generation approaching their mid-fifties and older, boomers are retiring at an average of 10,000 per day according to the Washington Post; American manufacturing is facing serious challenges. “The fact that the retiring workforces acquired their skills through high school industrial arts and company-sponsored apprentice programs that are not available to today’s youth only exacerbates the problem.”

Associations are even getting into the picture to try to help members recruit good talent. One such association is the PMPA that publishes a blog, Speaking of Precision, to let young people know there are viable alternatives to a 4-year degree.

As manufacturers, I think our responsibility is to get involved in our local communities with career days. Talk to guidance counselors and offer tours of your facilities and have your HR people be available to talk to students about manufacturing. We can’t sit back and wait for kids to come to us if they don’t know the opportunities exist.

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