We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • ProMat 2023
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • ProMat 2023
    • Upload Your Video
Home » looking for tomorrow's workers today
special handling

looking for tomorrow's workers today

November 1, 2008
George Weimer
No Comments

In almost any election, one of the big issues is bound to be jobs. Whether they're running for alderman or for president, candidates know that a surefire way to make points with an audience is to promise to make jobs plentiful for all.

Just how might they do that? One radical way might be to work to align high school course offerings with industry's hiring needs. Because—and here's some really big news—there's a severe shortage of qualified workers in America—for industry in general, and for material handling in particular.

The situation is getting worse by the year. Virginia Wheeler, executive director of the Material Handling Industry of America's (MHIA) Education Foundation, says the material handling industry will be "50 percent short in terms of the employees needed [in the nation's warehouses and factories] by 2010."

"Our industry is begging for people," adds Dan Quinn, president of material handling equipment maker Vertical Systems International and vice president for education for MHIA. Why is that? "Some areas place so much emphasis on college that students in a trade are made to feel inferior," he says. "A lot of schools measure themselves on the percentage of students who go on to college. Schools should embrace the concept that non-college-bound students are still valuable contributors to the economy and society."

Steve VanNostrand, vice president of human resources for lift-truck maker Raymond Corp., agrees that more could be done at the high school level to prepare students for careers in industry. The challenge is to "get people who are interested in industry; people with core skills like reading blueprints and understanding modern machine technology," he says. "Finding young people like that is a challenge."

A significant part of the problem, of course, is simple lack of awareness. "The biggest challenge is not so much the quality of the students as awareness of career opportunities in transportation and logistics," says Elise Leeson, director of human resources for transportation and logistics company Averitt Express.

She recalls a meeting with guidance counselors in which she asked whether they had ever suggested a career in transportation to their students. None had. "After sharing information about the types of opportunities available," she recalls, "a couple of the counselors asked if they could be considered!"

Alan Howie, author of the book Fundamentals of Warehousing and Distribution, agrees that raising awareness is the primary challenge. "Yes, there is an issue with lack of skills at the secondary school level," he says, "but the essential problem is we have to get the message out there that …work in the material handling industry is much more than a manual labor job. It's a career in a high-tech industry. Our challenge is to build awareness of all of this in the schools and colleges."

So what's being done right now? MHIA and a number of companies in the industry are reaching out to high schools to raise awareness of their critical employment needs. But there's only so much private industry can do. Think how much more could be accomplished if companies could get their government representatives involved.

Wouldn't it be nice if our thousands of politicians heard about all of this and decided to look into the crisis in industrial hiring? That way, they could take steps to address the critical skills shortage in our industry and help reduce unemployment at the same time. Sounds like a winning campaign strategy to me.

Business Management & Finance
    • Related Articles

      it's time to stand up for free trade

      go for the glory

      teach the teachers

    George Weimer has been covering business and industry for almost four decades, beginning with Penton Publishing's Steel Magazine in 1968 where his first "beat" was the material handling industry. He remained with Steel for two years and stayed for two more when it became Industry Week in 1970. He subsequently joined Iron Age, where he spent a dozen years as its regional and international machine tool editor. He then re-joined Penton Publishing as chief editor of Automation Magazine and in 1993 returned to Industry Week as executive editor. He has been a contributing editor for several publications, including Material Handling Management, where his columns and feature articles regularly generated lively discussion in the industry. He has won various awards from major journalism organizations. He has covered numerous trade shows here and abroad and has spoken to various industrial and trade groups on the current issues and events of the day as they impinge on business. He remains convinced that material handling technology and logistics are two of the major sources of productivity improvement today and in the future for all industries.

    Recent Articles by George Weimer

    Commentary: Necessity mothers invention at NA 2010

    Deal or (more likely) no deal

    business crime: who's really at fault?

    You must login or register in order to post a comment.

    Report Abusive Comment

    Most Popular Articles

    • Union Pacific agrees to provide more predictable schedules for union rail workers

    • Schneider National opens innovation center at Wisconsin headquarters

    • DHL Supply Chain will expand Locus Robotics fleet to 5,000 AMRs

    • Parcel carriers, shippers steer into choppy waters as a perfect storm of challenges approaches

    • Trucking companies face “modestly unfavorable” outlook heading into 2024

    Now Playing on DCV-TV

    B0d646ac 1d71 44f7 9c47 80a0858638b7

    Improve Overhead Access with Custom VRCs

    DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    Tackling high-reach storage challenges is easy with Autoquip Lifts. We offer a wide variety of design features for Vertical Reciprocating Conveyors, or VRCs, to safely transfer materials from multiple levels based on the client’s specific needs. Don’t know where to start? We can create the perfect hydraulic or...

    FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

    • How to Use Economic Uncertainty to Gain Competitive Ground with Automation

    • Exploring Customized Forklift Solutions

    • Exploring the Future of Labor Management With Capacity Planning

    • Three layers of forklift safety: Promoting operating best practices

    View More

    Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

    GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • NEWSLETTERS
    • ADVERTISING
    • CUSTOMER CARE
    • CONTACT
    • ABOUT
    • STAFF
    • PRIVACY POLICY

    Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing