Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1206285
833.273.6518 | noria.com 4 The Perfect Storm of 1991 – the one that infamously took down the fishing vessel the Andrea Gail in the North Canadian Atlantic – began with a cold front on the East Coast of the United States. The cold front gave birth to an extratropical low just off Nova Scotia, and at the same time, a ridge of high pressure spanned from the Appalachian Mountains northeastward to Greenland. The cumulation of these ingredients eventually formed a nor'easter that absorbed Hurricane Grace. Just as conditions were perfect for this massive storm to form nearly 30 years ago, manufacturing companies are dealing with the onset of a perfect storm themselves, one stirring up from issues such as an aging workforce, insufficient educational systems and the lack of technical apprenticeships, according to Terry Wireman in his book Training Programs for Maintenance Organizations. As of 2018, finding skilled workers to fill available positions was rated as the No. 1 issue among employers, based on a recent Plant Services survey. The next two most pressing issues were knowledge capture/transfer (51 percent) and retraining/upskilling workers due to evolving roles and responsibilities (49 percent). Despite U.S. manufacturers adding nearly 246,000 jobs last year (the most since 1988), a mix of baby boomer retirements and ever-changing roles, like the ability to use advanced technological tools on the job, has created a gap between supply and demand for manufacturing jobs. This gap could leave 2.4 million manufacturing jobs unfilled by 2028 and significantly impact the U.S. economy, according to Deloitte's 2018 skills gap study. So, how is the manufacturing industry preparing for and combating this brewing perfect storm? It is tackling two of the biggest contributing factors: lack of education and/or technical apprenticeships. Not only is it crucial for employers to address these two factors, but it seems as if the younger generation realizes the importance of staying on top of new skills and technological trends. These younger workers are looking for jobs where employers provide a decent paycheck as well as continuing education in their field where they can make a solid impact on the job. The Plant Services survey found that 66 percent of workers say they have participated in or taken advantage of career-development programs offered by employers, while 51 percent say they are very Jonathan Trout, Noria Corporation