Manufacturing Viewpoint: Here's how to support the Triad's Mega-Boom of job opportunities

In December, Toyota announced it is bringing at least 1,750 jobs to the Piedmont Triad. Since, other companies have chosen to come here, including Boom Supersonic, another high-tech company that will bring more than 1,750 jobs. Suddenly our area is bursting at the seams with jobs — good ones that pay well. Add to that some 600 jobs that Eli Lilly is creating an hour down the road in Concord. People will drive the distance for a good paycheck.

Joel Leonard, founder of MakesboroUSA

Those figures do not include the support companies that will come. It doesn’t include the number of new business opportunities local machine shops and manufacturers will be getting — causing them to increase their payroll. Jobs! Jobs! They’re everywhere! No longer will our youth need to move away to find a rewarding career.

How do we prepare? We start with communication. Employers, schools, students, parents and governmental leaders need to share the responsibility of explaining what is needed. Existing companies are going to probably lose some employees to the new companies. That will leave a void of jobs with existing companies. But we need to know how we can all help one another. We need to work together as a team.

First of all, employers need to show what kinds of jobs they need filled and when. They need to share that information with students before they make their career decisions. Employers should consider reaching out to area elementary and middle schools. It is in those grades where kids build their career curiosity. Employers need to take the onus of responsibility of helping prepare future employees and host more community plant tours despite covid restrictions. With all of the publicity over the last couple of months, many major employers in the area are now overshadowed and need to gain a stronger presence with potential candidates.

Second, schools need to expose students to new careers and bring shop and sewing classes back. I realize that is difficult with the public schools because so many of those decisions are not made in the classroom. There are plenty of retirees who can volunteer and help current teachers with introducing students to sewing, woodworking, machining and welding. Schools just need to ask and not get bogged down in bureaucracy.

Third, parents need to encourage students to go into manufacturing. Factory work is not what it was years ago. It’s typically clean, high-tech and pays well.

And fourth, students who may not be interested in a four-year degree should learn the options. They should:

Take STEAM classes

Watch YouTube videos about crafting, welding, woodworking and maintenance. I know you’re already on YouTube. Just go to a different place.

Learn about local associations and ask to periodically attend their meetings. Get involved and learn which companies will be hiring in the next few years. Find out who the decision-makers are. Get to know them.

See if you can test drive some classes at your local community college. Sit in and watch to see if something there trips your trigger.

Did you know scholarships are available to help you pay for a certificate that will land you a sweet job?

Take classes in business and personal finance before you graduate high school. You will need to learn how to budget your new-found money once you start earning it.

Currently, the most sought-after job is maintenance. No, this isn’t janitorial work. Maintenance means knowing how to troubleshoot complex, high-tech machinery to make it work and keep it running smoothly. Employers are already looking for applicants with STEM skills. That will continue. Today’s machinery runs on math and science.

The next jobs on the list are machining, fabrication and CNC (computerized numerical controls) operations and programming. I hear and see those jobs being advertised all the time. Scholarships are available at the community colleges to get the necessary training and certification for those jobs. And like the ads say, many students are hired before they graduate.

As the Toyotas and Boom Supersonics of the world move into our area, many of the existing workers will be leaving their current employers for more money. Unless mass efforts are implemented, these departures could destabilize the companies that currently support our local economy. We cannot let that happen.

In the past, I have received calls from people across the country looking for jobs. They have heard North Carolina is hiring. Now, I am getting calls from employers. The Toyota announcement got the ball rolling. I congratulate all the key people involved in making that happen.

But what about the local worker who still makes minimum wage and does not feel comfortable exploring a community college’s offerings? Our area is full of people like that. They cannot support their families and find odd jobs on the side. They continue to live in poverty. They work, yet depend upon social services, nonprofits and churches for financial assistance. For whatever reason, whether it be self-esteem, lack of diploma or a learning disability, this group of workers is left out. Many drop out to find menial work. But, most of it is with their hands.

This is a group of potential workers capable of helping fill vacancies that will arise because current employees will have left their jobs for more money. People who are good with their hands keep machines working — and that is the No. 1 job opening in the Piedmont Triad. No, they won’t have the top jobs, but they can support a maintenance team. Starting pay for maintenance workers averages $15-$25, far better than minimum wage. And the best part is that companies like to train new employees so they will fit into the team.

Until now, when trying to motivate students to focus on studies, teachers used to say, “You better study or you will end up working in a factory.” Today, teachers need to rethink what they say. Factory and manufacturing work isn’t for everyone; but for some, it’s a very lucrative career.

Joel Leonard, the founder of MakesboroUSA, is a Triad-based workforce development consultant who was inducted into the 2021 Order of Long Leaf Pine for his efforts to grow pipelines of talent. Reach him at 336-338-1011 or?www.MAKESBOROUSA.com