The Role of Community Colleges and Industry in Meeting the Demand for Skilled Production Workers and Technicians in the 21st Century Economy

Opening Statement By Chairman Brian Baird

Good afternoon. I'd like to welcome everybody to today's hearing which will look at the vital role skilled production workers and technicians play in today's workforce.

The Science and Technology Committee as a whole, and this Subcommittee especially, are very focused on improving math and science education. In this technology driven world, giving our students a thorough science, technology, engineering, and mathematics - or STEM - education is the best way to ensure that they, and our country, will stay competitive and prosperous.

Recent reports, like the National Academies' Rising Above the Gathering Storm, have sent up red flags warning that we are not graduating nearly as many scientists and engineers to keep up with the growing economies in China and India.

Similarly troubling are recent reports that we may not have enough qualified individuals to take the production jobs and technician jobs that keep U.S. manufacturing and other industries running. According to the National Association of Manufacturers, 80 percent of their survey respondents report difficulties in finding qualified people to run their production processes and serve as technicians. Other state and regional studies report that manufacturers in their areas are experiencing the same difficulties.

It is well known that U.S. manufacturing has lost a significant number of jobs in recent years either to off-shoring or automation.  But this is only part of the story.  U.S. manufacturers have embraced technology and lean production methods to stay competitive within the global economy.  This has shifted the labor requirements away from unskilled workers to skilled, technology-literate men and women who can run and maintain complex machines and ensure a high-quality product.  These jobs do not require a bachelor's degree, but they do require specialized knowledge; a good understanding of technology, math, and science; good problem-solving skills and good communication skills.  And, since the footprint of technology has profoundly changed many jobs, it's not just manufacturers that rely on people with these skills.

Unfortunately, today's students do not seem motivated to go into manufacturing or pursue technician jobs.  Many of them are unaware that manufacturing is a good career path or that these jobs are even available.  Their impressions, shaped by parents, teachers, and the media, see factories as dirty and dreary.  As I’m sure our witnesses will attest today, this is not the case in many modern factories, which are clean and not characterized by drudgery.  As increasing numbers of "baby-boomers" retire, changing the impressions of young people will be an important part of recruiting more young people to these jobs.

Offering students training opportunities for promising careers in these fields is just as important as changing their perceptions.  Community colleges can provide this bridge to students- those fresh from high school and as well as older students.  Many of these schools offer tech-training programs that prepare students with the kinds of skills now highly in demand by industry.

The National Science Foundation funds the operation of 33 centers around the country that are at the forefront of tech-training education.  Specializing in training for careers as diverse as environmental technician or micro-systems specialist, these centers offer excellent training to students at their host institutions and work to provide community colleges across the country with best practices in curriculum and industry skill standards.  These centers maintain strong partnerships with industry that guide the development of a program.  One of the important focuses of this hearing is how these partnerships between community colleges and industry create the programs that are most beneficial to students and their future employers.

As we will hear this afternoon, community colleges face steep challenges to implementing these important programs. Mainly, the programs suffer from low enrollment, making them difficult to develop and maintain on a community college’s tight budget. Also, the schools must deal with the reality that many of their students are not adequately prepared in math and science to immediately enter these programs, which discourages potential applicants. These are challenges that must be addressed if the country is to have a workforce that is congruent with industry’s needs.

Most importantly, I hope this hearing will highlight that it's time to get serious about better equipping ALL students to compete in the global economy.  These are good jobs and it we don't want to lose them because companies can't find enough qualified employees here in the U.S.

Witnesses

Panel

1 - Dr. Gerald Pumphrey
President South Puget Sound Community College South Puget Sound Community College
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2 - Dr. Stephen Fonash
Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania State University
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3 - Mr. Eric Mittelstadt
Chief Executive Officer National Council for Advanced Manufacturing National Council for Advanced Manufacturing
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4 - Ms. Monica Poindexter
Associated Director for Corporate Diversity Genentech, Inc. Genentech, Inc.
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