The U.S. jobs market remains resilient, which is good news for workers while also providing plenty of fodder for discussion among economists and politicians. For employers, however, an unemployment rate of 4.1 percent signals that it's going to remain difficult to find staff.
Manufacturers, which have to contend with lingering rumors of dirty and difficult work conditions, also need a workforce that is trained to handle automation and big machines.
Luckily, new collaborations and funding are popping up to help develop training programs.
The Greater Akron Chamber in Akron, Ohio, announced Jan. 14 that it has received $3 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration Good Jobs Challenge program that is being matched with $3.4 million in local funds "to strengthen the polymer industry's workforce pipeline through in-demand skills training and jobs" through the Advanced Polymer and Manufacturing Excellence (APEX) initiative.
APEX has set a goal for the next three years of 500 training enrollments, 400 training completions and 320 job placements.
Across the Ohio state line to the east, the American Injection Molding Institute in Erie, Pa., is partnering with Pennsylvania Western University to develop an associate degree program in plastics injection molding through PennWest.
AIM, created by John Beaumont, a Plastics Hall of Fame member, has provided training in plastics processing since 2015. The new program joins hands-on training through AIM with classroom time at PennWest campuses, Plastics News' Frank Esposito writes.
"Big picture, the [workforce training is] crucial to maintaining our global competitiveness and will support our efforts to drive global innovation in the polymer industry," Steve Millard, president and CEO of the Greater Akron Chamber, said in a news release.