{"id":8536,"date":"2012-05-18T12:58:32","date_gmt":"2012-05-18T16:58:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/?p=8536"},"modified":"2013-07-31T11:51:52","modified_gmt":"2013-07-31T15:51:52","slug":"why-nh-factories-are-struggling-to-fill-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2012\/05\/18\/why-nh-factories-are-struggling-to-fill-jobs\/","title":{"rendered":"Why NH Factories Are Struggling to Fill Jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Amanda Loder \/ StateImpact New Hampshire<\/p>

GE Aviation Plant Manager Doug Folsom is struggling to fill jobs on the factory floor.<\/p><\/div>\n

Nationally,\u00a0there are\u00a0about\u00a0600,000 unfilled\u00a0factory jobs<\/a>.\u00a0 But despite\u00a0high\u00a0unemployment, many of these jobs are proving difficult for employers to fill.<\/p>\n

That’s because American manufacturers are increasingly looking for workers with specialized skills. And those skills can take a long time for workers to learn.<\/p>\n

Take GE Aviation<\/a> in Hooksett, New Hampshire.\u00a0 With 720 workers, it’s one of the largest\u00a0employers in the state.\u00a0 GE’s factory is super-advanced, making parts for commercial planes, military fighter jets, and Blackhawk helicopters.\u00a0 But it\u2019s not the intricately machined parts that stand out when you wander the factory floor.\u00a0 Instead, it is a sea of gray hair.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\nhttps:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/05\/Factory-Feature-Full-Mix.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Replacing The Retiring Workforce<\/h3>\n

\u201cOur average employee\u2019s 51, with about 26 years of experience,\u201d says GE Plant Manager Doug Folsom.\u00a0 On a tour of the factory, Folsom stops at Gary Wintle\u2019s station where he\u2019s working on a machine with a big, yellow robotic arm.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Amanda Loder \/ StateImpact New Hampshire<\/p>

Gary Wintle shows off the before and after versions of the parts he machines at GE Aviation.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cGary\u2019s a good example of one of our future problems, in that you\u2019re probably going to be retiring in the next 10 years,” Folsom begins.<\/p>\n

That makes Wintle laugh. “Easily,” he says, “Within the next five to seven years!\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the problem.\u00a0 In the next year alone, Folsom is\u00a0looking to hire at least 30 people to replace workers with Wintle’s level of experience.\u00a0 And the company knows it won\u2019t be easy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can train someone within a matter of weeks to push a button,” Folsom says. “But to be able to understand the data that\u2019s involved with all of that equipment, to understand how to troubleshoot that equipment\u2026it takes years.”<\/p>\n

New training models<\/h3>\n

Traditionally, manufacturers have used apprenticeship programs to fill skills gaps. Beset with cost-cutting directives, however, many have ended <\/strong>these programs<\/a>.\u00a0 Mark Dodge, who\u00a0coordinates the machining program at Nashua Community College<\/a>, understands the dilemma companies face.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe day of the company having apprentice programs has kind of come and gone,” Dodge says.\u00a0 “Yes, we can save some money by not having our apprentice program now, but, in five or 10 years, where are we going to get people with that experience?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s very hard for a community college, even when it\u2019s working directly with a business, to try and anticipate what the skill need will be in six months, a year…I think it\u2019s very much like trying to shoot an arrow into a cloud.”–Dave Megenhardt <\/div> Increasingly, the role of workforce training has been falling on publicly funded community colleges, who will often tailor training programs to the needs of local employers. Dodge says\u2014with some pride\u2014that enrollment has been going up in these programs as word gets out about the demand for workers.<\/p>\n

Dodge’s\u00a0machine shop program is a good example. While the program draws many middle-aged men with some machining experience, there are a handful of fresh high school\u00a0graduates in the program as well. One of them is 18-year old Mark Gallipeau. He briefly turns away from his workbench to explain why he’s taken up machining.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems like there\u2019s a\u00a0 lot of open positions,” Gallipeau says.\u00a0 “I’d\u2019 just really like to get a job as soon as I get out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related<\/h4>
Posts<\/h5>