Higher Education and Local Businesses Work Together
A shortage storm is coming! A shortage of skilled trade workers, that is. In a state like Michigan, this crisis has come to head and companies have had to start thinking creatively about addressing the decline. Two factors have really fueled this shortage storm.
The first is an aging workforce. Baby boomers, the second largest generation in the United States at around 75 million members, are retiring and moving out of the workforce. This will likely leave an estimated 31 million vacant positions by the year 2020. Among these vacated positions will be electricians, pipe layers, plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters, machinists, heating and cooling trades.
The second is that younger generations are not going into these “dirty” trades. Traditional blue-collar jobs are being swept aside as parents and high school counselors guide students into four-year colleges. This has shifted a whole generation from the skilled trades to other jobs.
Innovative organizations understand that something needs to change to attract more students into these fields. In West Michigan, local businesses are looking for help from their local higher education partners. In this blog we’ll discuss three instances of public/private partnerships and how they’re helping combat the talent shortage.
Lake Michigan College (LMC) in Benton Harbor, MI, knew there was a need to enroll more students in their advanced manufacturing programs. Approached by local business looking to fill skilled jobs, the opportunity to partner with local businessman Merlin Hanson was presented.
Hanson had grown his small tool and die shop of three employees into a highly successful company. More than most, he understood that the days of dark, routine-based industrial jobs were numbered. Automation and advances in technology had altered or replaced these jobs. Rather, the future was leaning towards specialized technical workers who craved well-lit, clean, and high-tech spaces. He brought this vision to LMC, an institute he had long supported. The college’s existing M-TEC building was in a remote part of the Benton Harbor campus. The building was old and dark. Instead of speaking to the future of advanced manufacturing, it represented its past.
An increase in student enrollment.
Since the grand opening in 2016, the Hanson Technology Center has made a significant impact on the school and program by providing open, inviting and clean learning spaces that reflect the latest thinking in manufacturing techniques. The school initially experienced a 36% increase in course registrations compared the previous year. In year two, Lake Michigan College saw a 51% increase in student enrollment in their advanced manufacturing programs. This was in part due to the ability to offer new classes.
The fab lab, which is available for use to the local community, has experience more than 4,000 unique visitors. Additionally, it has been a tour highlight for more than 1,700 local high school juniors and seniors visiting the Hanson Technology Center as they consider their next steps in higher education.