By Michael Cooper, Springfield News Sun
Champaign County has a growing need for skilled labor at local plants as many in the workforce prepares for retirement, which is why county leaders and local manufacturers teamed up Friday to reach out high school students. About 100 high school students attended Manufacturing Day at Urbana University on Friday, held annually by the Champaign Economic Partnership. The event aims to educate students about the manufacturers located in the community, their products and the skills needed for employment, Economic Development Director Marcia Bailey said. Champaign County has about 3,725 manufacturing jobs, Bailey said, up from about 2,900 in 2013. >>RELATED: Honda supplier plans $24M to $34M expansion in St. Paris However a majority of the local manufacturing workforce has neared retirement age, including many who at the higher-end of the pay scale, Bailey said. About 49 percent of local manufacturing employees are between 45 and 64 years old, while just 3 percent are between the ages of 19 and 24, she said. “We need these students, this younger workforce to fill the positions that will need to be filled,” Bailey said. “It’s a huge, huge issue.” The average annual earnings of a manufacturing worker is about $66,000 in Champaign County, she said. “You don’t find those kind of jobs immediately, but you start working your way up,” Bailey said. The students toured several manufacturing facilities and participated in an interactive workshop Friday with companies such as KTH, Honeywell and the Hall Co. among others. It’s the third manufacturing education event held in Champaign County this year. >>DETAILS: Champaign County sees growth in manufacturing Rittal, which makes metal enclosures for industrial and information technology systems, also held tours for local students, Benefits Specialist-Human Resources Michele Mandelik said. “A lot of them said, ‘We didn’t even know you were here,’” Mandelik said. The company has several employees with 10 and 20 years of experience retiring in coming years, she said, and will need skilled employees to take their place. “When they leave, we’re losing that experience, so we want to transfer that experience to new hires,” Mandelik said. A group of sophomores from Graham High School toured the Honeywell plant on Friday morning, said Ali Peterson, who runs the career-based intervention and career connections program through the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center. The program helps students create both academic and career goals, some of which include manufacturing and aviation. “It was a highlight for them,” Peterson said. “It gave them some different options than they had previously considered and allowed to do some networking with them as well.” Each student has a different plan for the future, she said, which doesn’t always include college. Some students are encouraged to go to a career technical center or a trade school. “It will help them succeed and make them employable for years to come past graduation or that first job,” Peterson said. Students need to be as employable as possible before leaving high school, especially in light of state and national unemployment statistics, Mechanicsburg High School Teacher Kurt Forrest said. Many students complete four years of college, but sometimes can’t find a job in their field and are left with thousands of dollars in debt. “We need to make sure every single kid has a plan that fits that individual,” Forrest said. “When you do that you’re going to set them up for success.” Education is still vitally important, Bailey said. Students can also enroll in college while they’re still a high school student through Ohio Hi-Point, she said. “It’s not just one path, there are many paths,” Bailey said. The tour at Rittal was a great experience, Triad High School freshman Daniel Lake said. “I learned a lot just walking through the factory,” Lake said. “It’s a place I might be interested in after leaving high school. … (Manufacturing) is just a high-demand field. There are so many things you can apply the skills you learn for it, too.” By the numbers 3,725: Manufacturing jobs in Champaign County 49: Percentage of manufacturing employees ages 45-64 3: Percentage of manufacturing employees ages 19-24 Source: Champaign Economic Partnership Unmatched coverage The Springfield News-Sun provides complete coverage of jobs and the economy in Clark and Champaign counties, including recent stories on monthly unemployment statistics and expansions at Navistar. ![]() Local manufacturers took center stage on Tuesday at the county Community Center during a “Manufacturers Thank You Breakfast” hosted by the Champaign Economic Partnership (CEP). The event, attended by state and local officials and representatives from some of the county’s 18 manufacturing companies, was organized by the CEP to “honor and thank the employers for their dedication to Champaign County.” “Almost everybody that is represented in this room on the manufacturing side has either had growth this past year – whether it be employees, expansion or new investment in equipment – or is getting ready to,” said CEP Economic Development Director Marcia Bailey. The list of manufacturing companies in the county includes Bundy Baking Solutions, WEIDMANN, KTH, Ultra-met, The Hall Company, Rosewood Machine and Tool Company (RMT), Advanced Technology Products (ATP), Sarica Manufacturing, ORBIS Corporation, Desmond-Stephan Manufacturing, Hughey & Phillips, Parker Trutec, Rittal, Johnson Welded Products (JWP), Robert Rothschild Farm, Colepak, International Fiber Corporation and Honeywell Aerospace. Bailey remarked that even with an ever-growing list of manufacturers in the county, no one is in stiff competition with the other and, in some cases, local companies are helping one another. “The uniqueness is still there in that none of you make the same product and some of you are each other’s customer, so we want to continue that,” she said. “We want to continue the diversity that we have and bring more people here.” Proclamations Three local manufacturers were highlighted during the event for reaching anniversary milestones in 2015. Urbana Mayor Bill Bean and Champaign County Commissioners Steve Hess, Bob Corbett and Dave Faulkner jointly presented Ultra-met (50 years in business), JWP (45 years in business) and KTH (30 years in business) with “Keeping Champaign County Strong” proclamations in recognition of their “long-standing dedication and service to the community.” “We thought it was unique that three companies are celebrating anniversaries all in the same year,” Bailey said. Representatives from the three companies were also presented with pumpkins from the CEP painted by local artist Vicki Deere-Bunnell. Each pumpkin was decorated with the company’s logo and fall scenes. Also in attendance was Sandra Brasington, the western Ohio regional liaison for Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s office, who presented each manufacturer with a proclamation signed by Kasich and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor. “On behalf of the governor’s office, we want to thank you for your investment in Ohio as businesses in manufacturing,” Brasington said. “You guys are the ones making it happen, so we really want to thank each of you.” Brasington also thanked the county’s manufacturers for “changing lives” for the thousands of workers they employ. “You are making a difference,” she said. “You guys are doing a great job here in Champaign County, and we want to recognize that.” Bailey presented data showing job creation is on the rise. In 2013, Champaign County manufacturers employed 2,928 people, and by 2014, the number rose to 3,487. As of September of this year, Bailey said, the number of employees working in the county’s manufacturing sector stands at 3,832. “We’ve had over 900 jobs created in a three-year time period just here in Champaign County in manufacturing,” she said. (Pictured above: Champaign County Commissioner Steve Hess presents Lilli Ann Johnson, president of Johnson Welded Products (JWP), with a “Keeping Champaign County Strong” proclamation during Tuesday’s “Manufacturers Thank You Breakfast” hosted by the Champaign Economic Partnership (CEP) at the county Community Center in Urbana. From left are Urbana Mayor Bill Bean, Hess, Johnson and Rachel Lewis, CEP administrative assistant. ) Manufacturing firms in Champaign County have added jobs and had a greater economic impact as the economy has begun to recover, local officials said Tuesday.
Both private and government officials have worked more closely together in recent years, and are working together to address issues like workforce development, said Marcia Bailey, economic development coordinator for the Champaign Economic Partnership. Representatives from several area manufacturing firms met Tuesday morning as part of a manufacturer’s council in which local companies gather with education and government officials and discuss ways to address workforce issues. Some signs indicate those efforts are already paying off, Bailey said. Information provided by the Dayton Development Coalition shows the industry provided jobs for about 2,900 workers in 2013, and that has grown to about 3,800 jobs this year. Several manufacturers have worked together to attract younger workers, Bailey said, including hosting displays and a booth at the Champaign County Fair. Drawing younger workers is important because much of the current workforce is aging and there are now too few people in the pipeline to replace them. “It’s going to take a lot to turn it around,” Bailey said. The council also recently hosted a manufacturing day, offering tours at Honeywell sites to area high school students. Bailey also pointed to a new program developed by Trial Local Schools and the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center that started this year to teach manufacturing skills to students in the district as early as middle school. Making sure there are students interested in the field will be critical to fill vacant jobs as manufacturing becomes more advanced, she said. The industry accounted for $319 million, or about 33 percent of Champaign County’s gross regional product in 2013. That figure represents the goods and services produced in the county. By last year, manufacturing’s impact had risen to $399 million, or 36 percent of the gross regional product. In the past, the city of Urbana had provided much of the funding for economic development in the county. But several companies and government agencies recently formed the CEP, which includes funding from both private and government entities. That should benefit manufacturing firms because it will provide more resources and coordination for economic development, said Todd Michael, president of the Champaign Economic Partnership. “It’s a whole different attitude than we’ve had in the past,” Michael said. Bailey also recognized three local companies that have a long history of providing jobs in the county. Ultra-Met, which makes parts for the aerospace, defense and biomedical industries, has its 50th anniversary this year. Johnson Welded Products in Urbana, which makes parts for the heavy truck industry, has been there for 35 years. KTH Parts Industries Inc., in St. Paris, will mark 30 years as a parts supplier for Honda. http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/business/economy/manufacturing-program-to-grow-in-demand-workforce-/nmyry/
By Matt Sanctis The Ohio Hi-Point Career Center will start a new program with Triad schools to begin developing manufacturing skills as early as middle school and fill a growing demand for workers in the industry. Champaign County saw a roughly 23 percent increase in manufacturing jobs between 2011 and 2013, said Marcia Bailey, economic development director for the Champaign Economic Partnership. But employers statewide have said that a lack of skilled workers makes it tough to fill many of those positions. Nationally, more than 3.5 million manufacturing jobs will be needed over the next 10 years, but as many as 2 million may go unfilled due to the ongoing skills gap, according to a recent study from Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute. “We’ve heard loud and clear from local manufacturers that we need programs that will provide them with skilled workers,” said Debbie Wortman, Ohio Hi-Point Career Center satellite director. Beginning this fall, Ohio Hi-Point will start a three- to four-year process to implement a series of manufacturing courses at Triad middle and high schools. Ohio Hi-Point is also developing similar programs at Bellefontaine High School in Logan County and Kenton middle and high schools in Hardin County, Wortman said. An initial course at Triad Middle School will cover basic manufacturing principles. Other courses could cover topics like welding, machine operations, robotics, blueprint reading and other skills needed by local companies. The program will also allow students to try just a few courses, Wortman said, and take on more if the topics interest them. “We definitely want to always allow multiple entry and exit points,” she said about the program. About 80 students at Triad have already enrolled in the new program when classes start on Aug. 19, Superintendent Chris Piper said. Jonathan Alder Junior High School in Plain City, where Piper previously worked, also had a manufacturing program. It’s been a goal to develop something similar at Triad since he took over as superintendent, he said. Although the classes will take place at Triad, Ohio Hi-Point’s satellite programs are open to all of the career center’s students, so Urbana, Graham and other schools can participate as well, Wortman said. The initial start-up costs for the program will be absorbed through Ohio Hi-Point’s general fund. The eventual goal is to work with local manufacturing firms so every senior in the program has an opportunity for an internship, Piper said. Manufacturing has a significant economic impact in Champaign County, Bailey said. The industry employed close to 3,500 workers there in 2014, according to information compiled by the Dayton Development Coalition. Manufacturing also accounts for about 30 percent of the county’s gross regional product, or the value of goods and services produced in the county. Firms across the region often compete for the same small pool of workers who have the skills companies are looking for, said Dan Szklany, plant manager at Orbis in Urbana. The company makes a range of products, including plastic pallets and plastic reuseable packaging for the food and beverage and automotive industries. “What we end up doing is just stealing them from each other,” said Szklany of the local workforce. Logan Algren, a senior at Graham High School, was working as a temporary employee at Orbis through an Ohio Hi-Point program this week. He’ll attend the University of Advancing Technology in Arizona this fall on a scholarship, and then wants to work for the U.S. Department of Defense. But he said the experience at Orbis has been interesting and he would consider coming back eventually to manufacturing. The skills gap grew over several years as schools across the U.S. began cutting back on technical programs, Szklany said, and it will take a while to rebuild the manufacturing workforce. “We’re trying to make up for lost time is what we’re doing,” Szklany said. In-depth coverage The Springfield News-Sun provides unmatched coverage of jobs and the economy in Clark and Champaign counties. For this story, the paper spoke to area economic development officials, businesses and school leaders to explain a new training program to teach students manufacturing skills. By the Numbers 3.5 million — Estimated manufacturing jobs needed in the next 10 years 2 million — Estimated jobs expected to remain unfilled 3,487 — Manufacturing jobs in Champaign County in 2014 6 percent — Current Champaign county manufacturing workforce ages 19 to 24 Sources Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, Champaign County Economic Development |
Archives
February 2024
Categories
All
|