By André A. Odermatt


Hardly a day goes by without announcements of plant closings. According to DemolitionX.com, approximately 100 new plant closings are reported each month, representing thousands of workers caught in the winds of change. Unfortunately, we have not yet found a similar source that lists the new plant openings and, if our valued readers know of one, we would appreciate receiving this information.

There is an overused, old expression “the only constant is change” and, while this is still true, the speed at which that change occurs has varied. In the beginning of industrialization, change was slow. It has now reached a rapid speed and hundreds of companies are having difficulty coping with the transformation.

When the drumbeat changes, the dance changes is an African proverb that relates to this phenomena and many companies seem to be slow learners of the new dances or they may never learn! Plant closings can be devastating for workers and communities. They can drive up the unemployment rate unless a strong economy promotes new hiring. During the 1990’s, General Electric and IBM made dramatic reductions in their workforce without negatively affecting the employment rates. We currently see even more dramatic reductions in the workforce of the American automakers which will have a domino effect throughout the supply chain.

Is the economy strong enough to absorb all these layoffs without some form of retraining for the workers? I have no answer to this question. However, I do know that many companies are looking for skilled welders. It is a fact known across the nation and in political circles in Washington, DC, that there is an increasing shortage of skilled labor. The graph “Growth in Jobs and Labor Supply” depicts this shortage. Since not enough skilled workers enter the workforce, the Senate passed a measure to increase H-1B visas from 65,000 to 95,000 to allow U.S. companies to hire foreign skilled workers. It failed in Congress on December 19th 2005 and disappointed many manufacturing firms who need skilled labor. Now H-1B visa legislation is proposed using a market demand based escalator mechanism.

There is a shortage of skilled welders. A survey of over 200 manufacturers and fabricators revealed that the #1 concern was the lack of trained welding operators. The National Tooling and Machining Association says 40% of member companies are turning away business due to lack of skilled welders. Hobart Institute of Welding Technology (HIWT) gets daily postings of job openings. Our job placement rate has been running over 90% and was 100% during the last school year. Therefore, why not learn a skilled trade that is in high demand?

To become a welder is not the end, but the beginning of a successful and rewarding career. Hundreds of graduates from HIWT have become very successful not only as welders, but as engineers, entrepreneurs, educators and executives.

It is for the reasons outlined here that HIWT is working directly with companies that are downsizing to explain the opportunities offered by a career in welding. Some companies that are downsizing are offering to pay for the education of their laid-off workers as part of a buy-out plan and Hobart Institute would encourage workers to accept these offers. HIWT also works closely with the various One-Stop service offices and other placement offices to offer information on the opportunities that are open to skilled welders.

It is natural to dislike change. Many of us tend to live in a “comfort zone” and are rudely awakened or very startled when the announcement is made that our job… our source of income and security… is being eliminated. For some people this is devastating and they cannot get over it. Others see change as an opportunity! These are the successful and happy people! Hobart Institute is playing an important role in helping displaced workers find new and challenging positions in their lives through retraining.