The Wonkblog, a regular business feature on The Washington Post website, tackled the need for skilled labor among U.S. manufacturers in its Dec. 15 post. The news item features the plight of the Mursix Corp., an Indiana company that produces seatbelt buckles and bed frames, and has had trouble finding skilled workers to help keep up with the company's growth.
It's a story that's been repeated throughout the news media on a fairly regular basis for the past couple of years. What caught my eye with this particular article, however, was a comment from Michael Hicks, a business professor at Ball State University in Muncie, which is where Mursix is located.
Hicks got right to the point, noting that fear of change is slowing efforts to fill the skilled labor gap. In particular, he noted, current workers who have been on the same job for decades hesitate to take on the high-tech roles that are available—even if the new role pays a competitive wage.
Why? Because many of the high-tech job openings require training.
“I’ve gone to war,” said Hicks, an army veteran turned academic, “and going back to school was scarier.”
Author
Dennis, who served as electronic media editor at Cutting Tool Engineering from January 2007 through May 2018, is now the owner and publisher of the magazine and CTE Publications Inc. Dennis holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northern Illinois University, and has more than 40 years of media experience.
