09 Apr 2020

Wanted! Parents Who Help Their Kids Recognize the Great Career Opportunities in Manufacturing!

Manufacturing Careers, (as well as all skilled trade careers) are in high demand.  Many of these opportunities do not require a four-year degree.  According to the “Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute Skills Gap and Future of Work Study,” in August of 2018 there were over 508,000 job openings in the manufacturing sector.  Many of those employers were unable to fill the high-skilled, high-wage positions.   Yet, many parents continue to encourage their children to pursue four-year degrees.  Four-year degrees can be a great choice, but only if that degree leads to viable opportunities which provide a wage that is sustainable, and can support the debt incurred in receiving the degree.

Some Postsecondary Facts

  • 66% of all high school graduates attempt an associate or bachelors degree immediately out of high school (Success in the New Economy/YouTube).
  • 55% of all incoming freshman drop out by the end of the freshman year (Tinto-Retention Study).
  • Graduation rates for four-year programs stand at 28% nationally (with an average of a 5.9 year completion rate for a Bachelors Degree (Tinto-Retention Study).
  • Debt load for college students currently stands at $37,900 dollars (PHEAA).
  • 56% of all bachelors degree students are underemployed (success in the New Economy/YouTube).
  • The most popular college major is “Undeclared” (Princeton Review 2017).

Who do you want your child to be?  To better understand how manufacturing has changed, and why it is such an excellent opportunity for students to consider as they make decisions about their future, access the parent brochure at the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing” website.