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– From welding technology to automobile manufacturing community colleges are training students for lucrative manufacturing careers. Get the scoop on middle skills, labor shortages and the best degrees for manufacturing careers.

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Community Colleges and the Skilled Worker Shortage: Fact or Myth?

Updated November 05, 2020 | by Grace Chen

We look at concerns about the skilled worker shortage and alternative views about the problem. We’ll also explore how community colleges play a key role in building up the workforce, if a shortage does indeed exist.

The “skilled worker shortage” has become popular fodder for educators and business leaders alike. The perceived shortage has pushed for more partnerships between businesses and local community colleges and even more effective vocational programs at the high school level. However, some economists and other experts argue that the labor shortage is a myth, construed by educators and others who are interested in promoting their own interests by expanding the base of mid-level skills in the country. So is the skilled worker shortage a hard fact or mere myth? The answer may be much more complex than one might think.

Jobs Sitting Empty

One compelling argument in favor of the skilled worker shortage is the fact that many jobs at this level are sitting vacant today. Bloomberg Business Week reports that as many as 600,000 manufacturing jobs in the United States remain unfilled. Those numbers come from a recent report published by Manufacturing Institute.

According to the Business Review, New York alone could see a worker shortage of 350,000 by 2018, as the need for skilled employees in the technology sector continues to rise. The Society for Human Resource Management cites numbers from the McKinsey Global Institute that show the world could be short 40 million college-educated workers by 2020. Developed areas of North America and Europe alone could see a worker gap of up to 16-18 million workers by 2020.

While the numbers sound grand, individuals are urged to take a closer look at the data to determine precisely

Updated July 09, 2020 | by Grace Chen

Learn the Art of Wine-Making at Your Local Community College

We’ll report on the new wine-making program at Walla Walla Community College in Washington, as well as programs at other community colleges nationwide.

The West Coast is an area filled with fertile land perfect for wineries, which is why the winemaking industry has become big business for western farmers. Many community colleges are acknowledging the success of the wine-making industry by offering degree and certification programs for aspiring winemakers. While one Washington college has been duly noted for its contribution to winemaking in the area, it is not the only school to offer the necessary training for employment in this lucrative industry.

Winemaking 101

According to the Huffington Post, Washington has the second-highest number of wineries than any other state in the nation. It also ranks third in overall wine production. With this distinction, it makes sense that one of the biggest winemaking degrees in the country would also be located at a community college in Washington. However, Walla Walla Community College in Walla Walla, Washington, isn’t the only school to capitalize on the need for trained workers in the wine industry. Other schools in the state, as well as in Oregon, have also provided training programs for local wineries.

The art of winemaking is a complex one that begins with planting the grapes and ends with marketing the finished product. Throughout the experience, training is required for grape growing and winemaking, also referred to as enology. Once the wine is ready, workers in the industry must learn wine tasting and marketing products to the hospitality industry. While the work was often passed down through generations of families, the growth of the wine

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Careers: Car Manufacturing

Updated April 24, 2020 | by Grace Chen

Auto manufacturing is coming back in the U.S., with more training programs at community colleges to help fill the worker gap.

When the economy went south in 2008, car manufacturers were one of the biggest industries to feel the pinch. Four years later, the industry is slowly but surely rebounding, but without the skilled workforce, it needs to properly rebuild. According to many recent reports, the solution to the worker shortage appears to be community colleges; more specifically, in community colleges across the country that are partnering with major auto manufacturers to make sure the skilled workers are ready and able to take the jobs that are currently open and waiting for them.

Major Companies Partner with Schools

Higher education apparently makes strange bedfellows from time to time, with the latest auto manufacturing collaboration coming from some unlikely allies. The Huffington Post reports that Ford, GM, and Toyota are teaming up with other manufacturers to create a training curriculum that will meet the needs of the entire industry. The curriculum will specifically be geared toward community colleges, particularly those in Michigan – the auto manufacturing capital of the country that could use an economic boost since the recent recession.

These new auto training programs will be broad enough to encompass the products of all the various manufacturers, while specific enough to bring students right from the classroom to the assembly line. Studies will focus on helping students compete on a global level, using skills that will translate from one manufacturer to another with relative ease. The joint effort between the automakers ensures that every piece of the curriculum will be

Updated December 28, 2019 | by Grace Chen

Manufacturing Training Expanding at Community Colleges Nationwide

With a shortage of trained workers in the manufacturing industry, community colleges are stepping up to provide the necessary education to get more prepared workers into the industry as quickly as possible.

Despite the high unemployment rate and sluggish economy plaguing much of the country, there are numerous industries that can’t find enough skilled workers to staff their offices. To address both of these issues, community colleges nationwide are developing training programs in fields facing staffing shortages, putting displaced workers back on the job and filling company needs. One focus to this end is on the manufacturing industry, a field that promises long-term economic growth and job stability. Community colleges are answering the manufacturing call, with new programs cropping up at campuses coast to coast.

Manufacturing Program Expanding at Asnuntuck

Already boasting a successful manufacturing training program, Asnuntuck Community College is preparing to expand to allow even more students the opportunity to move into this lucrative field. According to the Windsor Locks Patch, the Connecticut state legislature recently passed a comprehensive jobs bill that allotted $2.2 million to the school for the purpose of growing their precision manufacturing program. The hope is that expansion of the program will encourage long-term economic growth in the area by boosting small business opportunities.

“Small business continues to be the engine that drives our economy,” State Representative Kathleen Tallarita (D-Enfield) told the Patch. “Investing in the future of Connecticut’s small businesses is essential to our continued economic growth.”

The funding will be used to increase the student body in the manufacturing program from 200 to 350 full-time students. It will also increase the number of incumbent workers from 325 to 450. The money will also allow the school to replace old

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Careers: Biodiesel Training

Updated July 17, 2020 | by Grace Chen

Start your engines…powered by biodiesel! Learn more about biodiesel programs at community college and how these could jumpstart a lucrative green career for you.

As our country looks to more green energy solutions, biodiesel production has come to the forefront of higher education today. Community colleges are hopping onboard the biodiesel bandwagon, offering a variety of programs to teach students how to create, test and market biodiesel fuel to a wide range of industries today.

If you are looking for a green career that will offer stable work opportunities and help the environment at the same time, perhaps a career in biodiesel technology is for you.

What is a Biodiesel Fuel Specialist?

According to Green Careers Guide, a biodiesel fuel specialist is involved with the conversion of renewable oilseed crops into fuel that can be used to power engines and machinery. The creation of biodiesels creates a cleaner environment and will alleviate our dependency on foreign oil in the future. Biodiesel technicians work in a variety of settings, but often spend much of their time in a laboratory.

To become a biodiesel fuel specialist, it is good to have the following qualities or skills:

An aptitude for mathematics and science
Excellent communication skills
The ability to work as a member of the team
Meticulous record-keeping skills

Green Careers Guide estimates that the outlook for biodiesel careers is good, with an average hourly rate of around $15-$20.

Where to Find Training

Biodiesel training programs are cropping up around the country, and we have a few examples to get you started in your research:

Anoka-Ramsey Community College

This Minnesota school recently received a state grant to train up approximately 44 participants in biodiesel

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