The many faces of fabricating

When you are laid off from two separate companies in a six-month time span, you have to sit back and think long and hard about your career path.

That's where a 25-year-old welder found himself earlier this year. He found a scholarship opportunity at Missouri State University that allows the unemployed to attend the school at reduced tuition. While he hasn't declared a major yet, the father of two wants to take some computer classes and get a part-time job.


He's not alone either. A university spokesman said the administration planned to provide about 20 similar scholarships this year. As of last week, the school reported 88 applications, 71 of which were approved.

Will those who were laid off from manufacturing jobs eventually work their way back to the shops when the economy improves? Some will, but I doubt a majority of them will. When you start to work in a temperature-controlled environment, don't have to worry about losing a finger by not paying attention, and believe that you'll continue to have a job even as the PMI falls below 50, a world outside of manufacturing doesn't look so bad.

The saddest part of the story is that the economy is making the choice for many of these manufacturing workers. In the period from July 2008 to July 2009, the U.S. lost 1.52 million manufacturing jobs. That leaves just under 12 million working in U.S. manufacturing today.

Four of the five states that were hit the hardest with the job losses were in the industrial heartland. Indiana and Illinois lost more than 80,000 manufacturing jobs during that time period, and Michigan witnessed the loss of almost 110,000 jobs with the collapse of the auto industry. Ohio suffered the most with the elimination of 127,000 manufacturing jobs during those 12 months.

Let's face it. The manufacturing sector always will have to battle this image of an industry sector that has seen better days. Experts indicate that manufacturing jobs will never reach the number they were even eight years ago because manufacturing technology has made today's facilities so much more efficient and companies are more open to manufacturing on foreign soil.

But all is not lost. For some, metal fabricating and manufacturing is where they need to be. They are creative, but not in an artistic way. They understand mechanical concepts, but may not be the best test-takers. They need to learn with their hands, not sit in a class all day dreaming of customizing cars.

Some school districts and community colleges are recognizing this and putting money into reshaping their vocational training efforts. Take this cool program near Charlotte, N.C., where students can learn the basics of race car fabricating. I've also seen numerous stories in online newspapers about the expansion of welding programs all over the U.S. The decline in manufacturing jobs today suggests that one might think twice about a career in manufacturing, but the impending retirement of the baby boomers indicates many opportunities will exist. Certain geographic locations will be better prepared than others.

That's the many faces of fabricating. Tough times for one might represent opportunities for others as the months pass by.

In the bigger picture, this scenario is being played out in other industries. Baby boomers aren't employed just in manufacturing. Do you know that while I was in our nation's capital on vacation that I actually read about the impending shortage of federal workers that some fear may bring Washington, D.C., to a halt? That may be an employment trend that very few taxpayers are interested in reversing.