CHAMPION, Ohio -- The Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition is partnering with area career and technical centers to inform students about a surplus of skilled trade positions -- and good careers -- available for the taking.
Members of the coalition and industry professionals attended last night's open house at the Trumbull Career and Technical Center here to speak to students interested in the center's welding, engineering and drafting programs, about their own experiences in manufacturing, and what opportunities are available if they graduate with a certificate in a skilled trade.
"This is a stepping stone that can take them on a whole career path," said Ron Kester, an employee at Starr Manufacturing in Vienna Township. He attended the open house with Dale Forester, a colleague at Starr and the coalition's vice president.
"There's so many opportunities something like this can give a kid," Kester said. "There's really no limit to what they can do if they find it and they like it."
Kester started as a laborer at Starr then went on to do welding and fabricating for the company. "I kind of fell into it. I found something I really liked to do and I was able to advance," he said. Now employed in the front office, he said he does a lot of drafting for Starr.
One of the benefits to getting into manufacturing as a student is the job availability, Kester said.
"There's a ton of people retiring and very few people coming in. There's going to be all kinds of positions that are going to be filled eventually and they're all skilled labor positions that can't be filled with anybody who doesn't already have the experience," he said.
Sue Roache of Cortland brought her 12-year-old son, Andy, to the open house to find out what opportunities are available for him to get into welding.
"This seems like a natural extension of what he already knows and he's here to just broaden his horizons," Roache said. Too young to attend TCTC in the high school program, the school made an exception for him to enroll in the adult education night class with parental supervision.
"He's not going to be old enough to be a regular student for several years but because they knew he had the interest, they went out of their way to gain permission, meet his needs and enroll him earlier than they normally would have," Roache said.
Despite young enthusiasts such as Andy, the coalition finds manufacturing industries are falling behind in recruitment of qualified workers.
Jason Gray, TCTC's director, has high hopes for the coalition's involvement with manufacturing students.
"There's a need in manufacturing and we have students that are on that pathway," he said.
The TCTC offers programs in welding, carpentry, engineering, drafting, autoCAD and design. "We're trying to create a well-rounded employee who can do a lot of things," Gray said.
"I know that people think manufacturing's dead in this area; it's not," he continued. "There are companies that are thriving and there's a necessity for workers -- not only workers who can go into the shop but those that can bring skills that can move them through the company."
Most of the students attend TCTC with the idea of going directly to work, said Bob Olesky, a welding instructor at the school.
"The majority of my students are pretty earnest in choosing the welding as a career. They know it's hands on, they know it's hard work and usually come from a background of people who work hard," he said.
Some students still choose to attend college though but stay true to their welding certificate, becoming inspectors or metallurgists.
No matter what career path they choose, however, Olesky said a lot of the students find jobs right away in all facets of welding.
"Because of the aging workforce, they're replacing the retirees," he said.
Members of the coalition will also attend open houses at the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center in Canfield on Feb. 16 and Choffin Career and Technical Center in Youngstown on March 1.
Copyright 2012 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.