LANCASTER – Workers with technical skills are in demand in Berks and Lancaster counties.
“For students, there is so much opportunity,” said Laurie Grove, director of career services at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology. “Some employers have said they are almost at a crisis level, where if they can’t find enough workers, they may have to close their doors.”
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, a Lancaster County Republican who represents part of Berks County, hosted a private discussion Monday at Thaddeus Stevens on how education and industry can come together to fill those jobs. With him was U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
At least 23 people representing industry and education, including Dr. Jill Hackman, executive director of the Berks County Intermediate Unit, and William Beyer, maintenance manager at Pepperidge Farm, attended the discussion.
“Everyone wants the same thing. We recognize we need to help parents understand what these jobs look like,” Grove said after the meeting.
Thaddeus Stevens and other technical schools offer two-year programs to earn an associate degrees for in-demand skills.
High Industries, a Lancaster County steel manufacturer, needs hundreds of welders, Grove said.
“We don’t have a fraction of enough graduates to fill the need,” she said.
For example, the Thaddeus Stevens Class of 2017 had nine welding graduates, but 107 employers contacted the school offering 135 welding jobs. That amounts to 15 jobs per student.
Students studying electro-mechanical technology have nearly 27 jobs per student to choose from, school statistics show.
The demand is similar in Berks County, according to Dr. Jim Kraft, executive director of Berks Career & Technology Center. The high school program, which also offers classes to adults, is seeing students graduate and get right into the workforce.
“It’s not unusual for welders in our area to earn $50,000,” Kraft said.
After touring Thaddeus Stevens, Smucker and Foxx promoted their support for the recent House passing of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, the first major overhaul to the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act since 2006.
The bipartisan legislation, which is headed to the Senate, aims to improve federal policies to help more Americans gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the workforce. The legislation will:
Deliver states more flexibility to use federal resources.
Improve alignment with in-demand jobs by encouraging stronger engagement with employers.
Enhance career and technical education through increased focus on employability skills, work-based learning opportunities and meaningful credentialing.
Reduce administrative burdens and simplify the process for states to apply for federal money.
Empower state and local leaders to develop plans that improve the quality of career and technical education and take into account unique local and state needs.
Smucker also visited Millersville University Monday.
