Let’s Make Our Workforce and Their Instructors Our Priority
Posted By:
Jeannine Kunz, Vice President, Tooling U-SME on
May 09, 2019

It’s National Teacher Appreciation Week in the U.S., and at Tooling U-SME
we recognize the men and women who’ve dedicated their careers to prepare
and mentor our incumbent and next-generation manufacturing workforce. Their
commitment is invaluable. They work diligently to equip our students with
the knowledge and skills they need to learn and stay current with the
latest technology and processes.
Teachers play one of the most critical roles in the development of our
workforce. Often, they are the first connection for students who are still
deciding what occupation they’ll pursue after high school and college.
But, just as the manufacturing industry struggles with a workforce skills
gap, the education system also deals with a shortage of qualified teachers
with the prerequisite experience needed and interest in the industrial
sector.
Baby boomer retirements, lack of prerequisite technical experience and
higher industry wages contribute to the shortage of manufacturing or career
technical education instructors. And while these are key issues responsible
for the small pool of available teachers, experts around the country are
exploring short-term and long-term strategies to bridge the shortage,
including:
-
Alternative certifications to bring industry experts into schools as
full-time teachers
-
Video conferencing into rural areas
-
Leveraging local employer relationships to connect industry experts with
schools
-
Allowing experts to work in their field and teach part-time or co-teach
with a fully certified teacher of record
Educators are the secret ingredient to producing a pipeline of highly
skilled employees that drive competitiveness, productivity, quality,
innovation and profitability for manufacturers. We — industry, government,
and academia — must work together to identify and implement solutions to
find, hire and retain great teachers, just as we do for the workforce.
Tooling U-SME will continue to work with, help develop and support teachers
to equip the next-generation workforce with the skills they need to
succeed.
If you’re planning to retire soon, or want to change careers and give back,
consider teaching within a manufacturing-related program at your local high
school, career technical school or community college. As an instructor,
you’ll see firsthand the impact of your coaching and how it can improve the
lives of people in your local community.
Tags:
instructors, "National Teacher Appreciation Week", "teacher shortage", "Tooling U-SME", workforce