New Jersey manufacturing needs for technical and skilled workers

Tuesday was “Student Technologic Day” at Sandvik, one event among many for the state’s first ManufactureNJ Week.

The event is dedicated to improving the perception of manufacturing, generating dialogue about policies to help manufacturers and building student awareness of careers in manufacturing, said Meredith Aronson, director of the New Jersey Advanced Manufacturing Talent Network, a sponsor with the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program. The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development came up with the idea, she said.

In 2012, there were 250,478 manufacturing jobs in the state — 3,031 fewer than last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state has lost an average of 13,000 manufacturing jobs since 1990, though the pace of decline has eased.

New Jersey is not a low-cost state in which to do business, which is why some sectors of manufacturing, such as pharmaceuticals, have “hollowed out,” Aronson said. Starting around the 1980s, there was a cultural shift toward service jobs. Many schools closed manufacturing programs, and the sector’s image was tarnished, Aronson said.

Aronson said New Jersey manufacturing — especially in the chemical, aerospace and cosmetic sectors — is still key to the economy, but there is a need for technical and skilled workers, like specialized machinists, technicians and welders…

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