Ever read something that makes you see red? Occasionally, I do. In fact, this happened to me Tuesday morning as I read an article on msnbc.com with the headline "Some employers want return of vo-ed training."
My first reaction? "No kidding; this is old news." The metalworking industry has been bemoaning the demise of vocational training programs for years. However, it was a paragraph later in the article did not sit well with me. The sad thing is, it may be true. (more...)
If you haven't checked the recent blog post by Vicki Bell, thefabricator.com's Web content manager, you are missing some good conversation.
She referenced an e-mail from a fabricator who was responding to an article in the January 2012 "Fabricating Update" e-newsletter. In the response, the fabricator said manufacturing companies could find skilled labor if they were willing to pay for the talent they were seeking: "To put it simply, there is no shortage of skilled labor in this area. The issue that persists now is the fact that no one is willing to pay for this labor. Reputable and large facilities are attempting to hire individuals to weld carbon steel, stainless, and aluminum, and the typical rate is $10 to $12 an hour."
The January "Fabricating Update" included statistics and comments from the e-newsletter's recent survey about fabricator concerns. Some of the comments focused on the lack of skilled labor, an oft-cited concern in the fabricating industry and manufacturing as a whole.
This information garnered even more comments, such as a very thoughtful response from Todd, an Alabama reader whose signature included the aka: Skilled labor standing right here, willing to relocate!
Todd's response chronicles his experience as a skilled craftsman, paints a picture of what is happening in his part of the country, and raises a valid point about why employers might be having such a difficult time attracting qualified workers. (more...)
Are you among those who "like" The FABRICATOR page on Facebook? If so, you may have seen the January 11 post from Kenny Johnson, who wrote: "Where does everyone see the future of fabrication in the U.S.? Certified welders, or welders with degrees but no certifications? I ask this because I am looking at taking some classes and getting certified."
Perhaps no one is more qualified to answer Ken's questions than readers of the "Welding Wire," e-newsletter. We put the questions in the January issue, and here's what some of the readers had to say. (more...)
If you're like me, you're interested in people's stories. We all have them, and typically they are more interesting than we might think.
FMA Communications' editorial department—the department in which I work—got together last month to brainstorm all things related to our print and electronic publications. At the beginning of the meeting, each of us in attendance told the story of how we came to be editors with our publications. The stories of how we arrived at this same place bore both similarities and differences—not unlike the readers who responded to last month's "Welding Wire" with accounts of how they became welders. (more...)
Earlier today I made the final edits to an article to be published next week (Oct. 11) on thefabricator.com. Written by welding instructor and quality manager Carl Smith, a frequent contributor to the Web site, this article, "Don’t junk it; make it better," is about welding to extend equipment life and improve products—in this case, using aluminum bronze welding wire.
While the technology and applications described in the article are interesting, what captured my attention is the overall concept of taking something that might be considered old, defective, and obsolete and making it useful for years to come. In a sense, some students in South Whidbey, Washington, are doing just that as they work on a rather unique project. (more...)
I just got off the phone with a retired "sheet metal mechanic," as he called himself. He wanted to send in a letter to the editor about his experiences in metal fabricating, and I'm not sure we'll have enough room to include all of the points he covered in our 10-minute phone call.
This was his main point, however: You can bust your butt to be a good employee, but companies "will toss you aside when they are done with you." After making that statement, he went on to describe how he worked a 1 p.m.-to-9 p.m. shift for one shop, often working into the early morning, for 27 straight days. After putting together that long streak of consecutive days worked, he was laid off several weeks later. On the way out, the owner of the company told him his contributions were appreciated, and he replied, "You have a funny way of showing it." (more...)
Among the most popular articles on thefabricator.com is a series about Job Satisfaction that was written early in 2003. In December 2002, we surveyed “Fabricating Update” readers about how satisfied they were with their jobs.
We asked them to rate their job satisfaction for the year on a scale of 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied). By all accounts, 2002 was a most difficult year. The job market was tight in many areas as companies scaled back to weather the 2001 economic downturn. Employers enacted wage freezes and, in some cases, wage cuts. Bonuses, employee development, and other perks were reduced or eliminated. As many workers suddenly found themselves without jobs, many others found themselves working harder and longer for less compensation and potentially less job satisfaction. (Sound familiar?) (more...)
My recent note in the July 2011 edition of the "Fabricating Update" e-newsletter resulted in a nice exchange of e-mails with readers. I wrote about The FABRICATOR's 2011 What Keeps You up at Night? survey and noted that even with the overall concern about the economy, which also was the No. 1 concern among fabricators surveyed in 2009, metal fabricators still fret about the availability of skilled workers, the No. 2 concern.
Most of the e-mail contained comments about the current economy and the inability of elected officials to do the right thing. That can't surprise many people. However, one e-mail author asked a decent question: "You keeping saying there is a lack of skilled workers out there. What skills? Why don't you do your own survey to find out what skills companies are looking for?" That's a great point because "skilled labor" definitely can be defined many different ways.
Luckily, the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association's Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs Foundation conducted such a survey recently. The Manufacturing Job Skills Survey, completed at the end of 2010, revealed that every fabricator has a different take on just what skills need improving. (more...)
The July "Fabricating Update" e-newsletter featured reader comments about wages and whether employers are suppressing them to boost profits. These comments were inspired by a quote in the June issue from a reader reflecting on a potential manufacturing renaissance: "It is great that the companies are making increased profits, but with the trade agreements, are they doing it by suppressing wages? We have companies here in Michigan that use the threat of moving work to Mexico to gain wage concessions!"
The possibility exists that some companies are doing just that. At least it would appear so from some of the comments we received. (more...)
