b"Lead AngleMANUFACTURINGS WHITE COLLARM anufacturing has long been viewedneeded to do that kind of work, he added. as an industry that provides a routeInstead, industry-recognized certification or to the middle class for people with only aan associate degree is enough to prepare high school education. For those who areanyone with a high school diploma to begin a mechanically inclined and like to work withcareer in manufacturing.their hands, a manufacturing career, such asMiddle-skill jobs, which require education working at a machine shop, enabled them tobeyond high school but not a four-year start earning a decent wage after graduatingdegree, make up the largest part of the U.S. from high school. While people who attendedlabor market, but key industries are unable college to earn a degree envisioned greenerto find enough sufficiently trained workers to pastures four or more years later, factoryfill these jobs, according to the National Skills workers might be seen tooling around townCoalition.in a shiny new pickup as their college-goingOne avenue to obtaining a middle-skill peers scrimped and saved and took publicjob at a manufacturer is by participating in transportation. an apprenticeship program, which involves That scenario appears to be changing asworking as an apprentice for a company and more manufacturers introduce automationattending classes at an educational institution and advanced equipment into theirof higher learning. After completing an operations. A December article in The Wallapprenticeship program, some participants Street Journal reported that within the nextuse their associate degree as a stepping three years, U.S. manufacturers arefor thestone to obtain a higher degree.first timeon track to employ more collegeNonetheless, not all manufacturers are like graduates than workers with a high schoolPioneer Service Inc., the Addison, Illinois, education or less. Currently, more than 40%machine shop that was profiled in the WSJ of manufacturing workers have a collegearticle because of its need for workers with degree, up from 22% in 1991. This changeadvanced degrees. T.J. Donlin, president from blue- to white-collar is part of a shiftof Elmhurst, Illinois-based Comet Die & toward automation that has increased factoryEngraving Co., which was profiled in CTE's output, opened the door to more women andMarch issue for the moldmaking article, said lowered prospects for low-skilled workers. the only people at his company with college While the movement of manufacturingdegrees are his brother, who is vice president, jobs to countries with low labor costs hasand himself. I could be wrong, but I dont reduced the U.S. manufacturing workforce,see a kid graduating college and saying, I the main cause has been automation, notedwant to be a moldmaker and start at that Jeff Mello, dean of Rhode Island Collegepay.CTESchool of Business in Providence, in an article on the colleges website. Manufacturers are investing in high-end machinery, and theyre looking for white-collar employees who canabout the author program the machines and repair them ifAlan Richter is editor of CTE. necessary. Contact him at 847-714-0175 However, a bachelors degree inor alanr@ctemedia.com.engineering or computer science isnt 8APRIL 2020LeadAngle.indd 8 3/16/20 11:13 AM"