Skilled Worker Shortage Solution

Many manufacturers are scrambling to find enough skilled workers to fill current and future positions.  With the shortage of welders, pipe fitters and other high-demand workers likely to get worse as more of them reach retirement age, unions, manufacturers and other businesses are trying to figure out how to attract more young people to those fields, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports.

One of the biggest challenges is overcoming the perception that blue-collar trades offer less status, money and chance for advancement than white-collar jobs, and that college is the best investment for everyone.  To highlight the benefits of a career in the skilled trades, employers are turning to schools, the military and even online networking tools like MySpace.

Manufacturers aren’t disputing that college can be a wise investment, but they also say that craftsmen can earn more than the average college graduate these days, especially in the current down economy.  A new campaign called "Earn While You Learn" has been launched on YouTube and MySpace in an attempt to let college-age kids know that they can learn a new trade without all the college loans.   Maybe all we really need is a reality TV show that shows the lives welders and various blue-collar workers in a positive light.