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Aging workforce, technical skills shortage and the importance of CTE

Guest Contributor — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 19:42:01 +0000

America is dealing with an unprecedented shortage of skilled labor. The Department of Labor reports that while there are 7.6 million unfilled jobs, only 6.5 million people were looking for work. This is the same situation in Arizona.

The industries seeing the largest talent gap are construction, health care and personal care, followed by computer and mathematical occupation. Better than average employment and a shortage of employable workers may leave the Arizona economy in a tough spot.

Greg Donovan

Career and technical education (CTE) programs may be the answer. CTE program education gives students the academic, technical and employability skills needed for workplace success.

A local Arizona CTE public school district is preparing more than 37,000 students from 48 high schools in the North and West Phoenix Metropolitan area with the skills and certifications needed to obtain a career in the industries that desperately need young talent to help replace an aging group of tradespeople who are getting ready to retire.

Construction

The skills gap in construction is well known. Baby boomers are reaching retirement age, leaving a large space for younger workers to step in. In fact, according to the, the utmost cost concern of contractors was access to qualified workers.

CTE programs, like the one at Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC), help to prepare students to enter both the commercial and residential construction industry. Students learn about safe work practices, construction diagrams, concrete and masonry equipment, concrete formwork, concrete placement methods and finishing techniques, structural concrete and masonry applications, inspection protocols, product testing, and quality control.

Specialized programs are a good way for students to develop into a specific niche, which will be important as the industry continues to move forward in the age of automation and technology.

At West-MEC, the Electrical Trade Specialty program introduces students to the elements of electrical systems. Students perform maintenance on electrical circuits, work with control systems and install lighting, and motors.

CTE programs often even provide opportunities to learn and work in a real-life scenario. The Energy and Industrial Technology Program at West-MEC is run in close partnership with APS, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Facility and Estrella Mountain Community College.

This model of hands-on-learning strengthens both general knowledge and specific skill sets, ensuring students are prepared and qualified for future opportunities.

Healthcare

The healthcare industry is expected to add 3.8 million new jobs by 2024, according to the Labor Department’s projections. While nurses and physicians are the most visible positions in the industry, this growth will impact everyone. Phlebotomists, pharmacists, clinical hospital staff, physical therapy and medical technicians are among the positions that will see the most growth.

Fortunately, CTE programs are available for such opportunities.

The West-MEC Pharmacy Technician program teaches students pharmaceutical services alongside licensed pharmacists in a pharmacy setting. Students learn medical terminology, pharmacy law, quality customer service, pharmacology, preparing prescription medications, and administrative duties such as inventory of drugs and pharmacy operations.

Students who go through programs for Medical Assisting receive clinical and administrative knowledge, including how to properly administer injections, take vital signs, record EKGs implement basic accounting procedures. Once the program and certification test are completed, graduates are entry-level medical assistants.

Computer Science

Research suggests that nearly one million technology jobs will be unfulfilled by 2024. Employers in the industry say the problem is that college computer science programs were designed to teach theory, not engineering education and practice.

The CTE education model is staunchly dissimilar. For example, students pursuing education in coding software development, they actually learn how to design and develop software and applications on the desktop, websites and back-end programming, and write and test computer code.

In IT Security, students learn to secure computer networks and manage risk. Students even learn ethical hacking defense, troubleshooting Linux OS and mitigating security risks.

CTE graduates entering the computer science and technology field find they are ready to jump into their next opportunity.

As the workforce ages out of their skilled labor positions, it is necessary to replace them with professionally qualified and certified talent. Without CTE options, these industries would suffer greatly.

Greg Donovan is the superintendent at Western Maricopa Education Center

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New state-of-art college construction programs in northern Arizona

Victoria Harker — Wed, 19 Feb 2020 18:00:17 +0000

A year ago, students of construction trades at Coconino Community College worked in cramped outdated quarters. Labor-strapped construction companies snatched them up upon graduation, or before.

Like much of the state, northern Arizona is seeing a construction industry on the rise. But qualified workers have long been in short supply.

“It’s challenging with our students trying to fit a schedule,” said Jeff Jones, dean of career and technical education (CTE) at the college. “Many are in evening classes so they can work at entry level during day and increase their skills at night.”

Now, there’s a beacon of hope with the completion of a newly expanded state-of-the art facility for the college’s Construction Technology Management program. It will allow the program to triple its student count.

Premier training laboratory for all trades

The renovation was made possible, thanks to a $1 million grant from the Del E. Webb Foundation last year.

Del Webb’s grant allowed the college to expand current offerings and offer new in-demand programs like Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACr) Technology, Welding Technology, Electrical Technology, Solar and Wind Technology, and Electronic Drafting.

Situated in the heart of , the newly renovated 5,000-square-foot facility is a showcase for the latest technology with new virtual reality welding, electrical and HVACr simulators.

“It’s what it should be to really get our students ready to walk in (to a job). We try to use the same tools, the same exact meters, the same code,” said Jones, who added that students at the college were the first in the country to pass the International Building Code 2018.

Homegrown labor for the region

With the expansion, the program gained the capacity to triple the number of students graduating with certificates and degrees from 30 to 94.

It couldn’t be soon enough, said Steve Hanson, the owner of Flagstaff Comfort Systems and a member of the Northern Arizona Building Association (NABA) board of directors.

“We’re very excited about it because the college is trying to groom the kids that are here and want to stay here instead of trying to import people who have no support system here, like mom and dad who can help pay the bills,” he said.

Annual minimum wage hikes mandated by the state and the city of Flagstaff are making hiring even more challenging, Hanson said.

“The basics of it is, if you can get paid $15 an hour to cook burgers instead of dig a ditch for a construction company, what are you going to do?”

Hanson, who donates used furnaces to the program so students can learn how to work on “old stuff” that isn’t necessarily in modern textbooks, said NABA has been working to promote and assist the development of much-needed CTE programs for students.

Demand for skilled workers to continue

Contractors and subcontractors have been knocking on the college’s door for years. Northern Arizona University’s Construction Management graduates also are in high demand.

The need is not expected to slow, Jones said, citing a number of proposed projects in the region including new development around the Navajo Nation’s gambling casinos.

Dual enrollment program to attract high school students

With the expansion complete, there is talk of a dual enrollment program to pull in local high school students. There are scant options for teenagers interested in construction trades, Jones said. One high school offers a welding program.

“Being able to offer a dual environment to really get high school students passionate about trades is one of the add-ins to this,” he said. “Young kids really like the look and feel of new stuff, the technology. So we really want to use that to attract the younger crowd.”

For more information about the college’s construction technology management and other programs, go to .

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