Panelists for the discussion on June 16 at Granville Central High School included, from left, Jeff Tingen, human resources manager for Altec Industries in Creedmoor; Steve Tsotsoros, operations manager for Dill Air Controls Products in Oxford; Roger Shackleford, Career Pathways consultant for the Kerr-Tar Workforce Development Board; Mark Sorrells, senior vice president of the Golden LEAF Foundation; Arlan Peters, head of sustainability at Novozymes in Franklinton; and Sara Lloyd, director of customized training for VGCC. (VGCC photo)
Educators, local industry representatives and community leaders shared ideas at a panel discussion organized on June 16 by the Advanced Manufacturing Skills Training Alliance (AMSTA), a partnership of Vance-Granville Community College, Granville County Schools, Franklin County Schools, Warren County Schools and Vance County Schools.
The event was part of “AMSTA Cruisers 2016,” a multi-day program that brought teachers from the four counties together to learn more about manufacturing and the regional economy.
Held at Granville Central High School in Stem, the discussion featured panelists Jeff Tingen, human resources manager for Altec Industries in Creedmoor; Steve Tsotsoros, operations manager for Dill Air Controls Products in Oxford; Arlan Peters, head of sustainability at Novozymes in Franklinton; Mark Sorrells, senior vice president of the Golden LEAF Foundation; Roger Shackleford, Career Pathways consultant for the Kerr-Tar Workforce Development Board; and Sara Lloyd, director of customized training for VGCC. Eddie Ferguson, the VGCC Endowment Fund director, served as the moderator.
Ferguson asked what he called the “all-star panel” to educate the audience about industry needs and workforce development. Tingen started by declaring that “manufacturing is alive and well…. We currently have 60 job openings and are struggling to fill them.” He explained that many of his company’s jobs require higher technical skills than they did in the past. For example, robotic welders need to be operated by people who know not only how to weld but also how to program the machine. Similarly, Tsotsoros said it is important to promote mechatronics training, which encompasses a variety of skills, at the high school and college levels. VGCC offers a two-year Mechatronics Engineering Technology degree to attempt to meet industry demands.
Lloyd, who works closely with more than 40 manufacturers to develop training solutions, said that employers no longer want workers with a single skill set. “They want someone who can troubleshoot, someone with a broad range of skills and technical training,” she said. “The great news is that once you’re trained and hired by a manufacturer, the opportunities are endless.”
Shackleford said that the state’s Career Pathways initiative is all about “helping us understand employers’ needs and align our educational programs, so that we are all speaking the same language.”
Likewise, Sorrells emphasized the need for collaboration. “Employers say they can’t find the talent to fill their positions, so we need a unified talent development plan in our communities, starting at the middle school level,” he said. “If we don’t solve our labor crisis, we won’t be competitive, particularly in our rural areas.” To that end, the Golden LEAF Foundation established the “Essential Skills in Advanced Manufacturing” Initiative. The foundation awarded a grant from that initiative to AMSTA.
Sorrells encouraged industries to visit schools and talk to students about what they do, just as they should welcome school groups to their facilities. Peters noted that Novozymes has developed an innovative partnership with Franklin County Early College High School.
The panelists agreed that not only technical skills, but also so-called “soft skills,” are important for developing a strong workforce. “We want people who are responsible, accountable, engaged and curious — people who ask ‘why,’” Tsotsoros said. He added that his company joined the North Carolina Triangle Apprenticeship Program, in partnership with VGCC, and that program promotes such soft skills in high school-age apprentices as well.
Following the panel discussion, attendees received updates from state and federal officials. Speakers included Catherine Truitt, senior education advisor to Gov. Pat McCrory; Betty Jo Shepheard, a regional field representative for U.S. Sen. Richard Burr; Austen Shearer, a regional field representative for U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis; Bob Witchger, director of Career & Technical Education for the N.C. Community College System; and Jo Anne Honeycutt, director of Career & Technical Education for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.
Truitt noted that the state’s goal is that by 2025, 67% of North Carolina workers will have education beyond high school. She said that the North Carolina Education and Workforce Innovation Fund (EWIF) helps to achieve that goal. Funding from the EWIF supported AMSTA Cruisers 2016, as did a $10,000 grant from the State Board of Community Colleges, as part of a statewide “Taste of Industry” initiative.
From the community college system’s perspective, Witchger said his key strategies are engaging employers, promoting Work-Based Learning opportunities and getting high school students into college courses through the Career & College Promise program.
Attendees concluded the event by touring Granville Central High School’s new, 35,000-square-foot Career & Technical Education wing. Some of the state-of-the-art equipment in the facility was made possible by a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation.