Skilled jobs go unfilled despite unemployment rate

Cory Baltazar, operations manager for Owens Precision of Carson City, says that finding a qualified computer-numeric controlled machine operator can take months.

He's not alone in his frustrations. Filling skilled positions is a growing problem at machine and fabrication shops throughout the region.

Machine shops in both regions are hard-pressed to fill openings for welders, fabricators and CNC operators, as well as engineers and programmers, despite July unemployment rates of 12.5 percent in Carson City and 13 percent in Reno-Sparks.

"There is a lot of general labor, but they usually are coming out of construction," Baltazar says. "Those positions I can fill without a problem, but any kind of skilled machinist position or supervisory position takes a long time to fill. It usually will be an accident if I get somebody."

Manufacturing companies in the state have shed approximately 10,000 jobs the past few years, says the Nevada Manufacturers Association.

But many of those jobs were for general production workers who lacked the technical knowledge needed to perform more complicated work.

"If you need someone with 10 years experience, a lot of people drop off," Baltazar says. "If someone were to move into Carson City and need 25 machinists, they would have to bring the people with them; they are just not out there. It is a dwindling workforce."

Jeff Lawrence, operations manager for the northern Nevada division of Nevada Industry Excellence, which helps manufacturing companies in the state streamline their processes, says managers of companies in the Silver State formerly could bring on unskilled labor and teach them the basics of assembly and production. However, Lawrence says, those same companies now require an employee base with a higher level of technical skills, from machinists and millwrights on the production floor through engineering and maintenance personnel.

"The skills level in manufacturing has definitely increased, and employee skills haven't matched that increased level," Lawrence says. "Everything takes a higher level skills because it is almost all computer programmed."

Western Nevada College and Truckee Meadows Community College both have training programs to train manufacturing and fabrication workers, and each school also works with area companies to tailor its training programs to meet the needs of regional businesses.

Jim New, associate dean of applied technologies at TMCC, says the manufacturing technologies program includes instruction in machining, welding and production systems, as well as in supporting programs such as drafting. Each semester at TMCC about 20 to 25 students enroll in the machining program. About half are currently employed production workers hoping to upgrade their knowledge and skills to land higher-paying or less menial jobs, New says. TMCC in recent years also retooled some of its training programs to reflect regional economic trends. TMCC used to run several hundred students per year through its welding program, New says. The program once focused on the needs of the construction industry, but now it's more geared to manufacturing and incorporates more CNC technology.

Both TMCC and Western Nevada College offer certificate and associate degrees in their applied technology programs. Bill Steiger, director of economic development and continuing education at WNC, says students who complete the 60-unit associate degree path have a well-rounded skill set and familiarity with CNC equipment. However, Baltazar of Owens Precision says, it still takes a great deal of hands-on training to master the intricacies of complex CNC equipment.

CNC machines use computer programs to automatically perform a variety of milling processes, such as laser, plasma and water-jet cutting, and bending, gluing or picking and placing. Manufacturing companies in the Truckee Meadows and Carson City make anything from screws and engine parts to intricate aircraft equipment. Companies such as Owens Precision also perform contract manufacturing for a diverse customer base.

Increasing automation of the ways these products are made has led to shortages of skilled workers, Steiger says.

"There are large number of manufacturing firms in Carson City, and CNC is technology is becoming more and more prevalent. In the past there have been a lot of manual machinists, but it has become common that machine processes are controlled by CNC. There are some very good machinists that have been in the trade for a long time that may not have that experience."

TMCC's New says that despite being slightly behind the needs of regional employers, training programs are crucial for the success of the state's manufacturing companies.

"If we didn't have training programs we would rely entirely on the industry to train everyone on the job, which is very expensive for them," he says. "It is much more beneficial for the community to train these people almost on speculation that the jobs will come.

"Clearly there are openings out there; it is just a matter of getting people to understand that the training opportunities are here as well."