There’s no doubt that our nation has a growing skills gap.

By that, we mean there is a serious – and increasing – shortage of skilled workers in the U.S. The Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte surveyed manufacturers and found that 82 percent of them believe there is a moderate or serious shortage of skilled workers in their industries.

Over the next 10 years, upwards of 3.5 million jobs in manufacturing will be vacant as a result of retiring workers who take decades of experience and training with them. As many as two million of these jobs could go unfilled.

What’s worse, 75 percent of manufacturers think that this shortage has negatively impacted their chances of expanding and growing – and 69 percent expect it to get worse before it gets better. The problem isn’t just with manufacturers, either; it applies to skilled trades and industries across the board.

How does our nation solve this problem? How do we close the skills gap?

More Funding for Technical Training

Technical training is one recourse – educating more young Americans in the skilled trades that need replacement workers.

Skilled trades offer good salaries and fantastic job security, but many young people don’t gravitate toward them. A lack of sufficient funding for technical training programs at all levels – from middle school through university – is preventing untold numbers of students from having access to education for this line of work.

Plus, the programs that do exist are often underfunded and lack the advanced technical training aids that can dramatically increase hands-on learning in a more effective and efficient manner.

The bottom line is simple: young up-and-coming workers need to understand that there is a viable alternative to the traditional career path of undergraduate and graduate coursework. They may find skilled work more suitable – and full of better opportunities.

Making Use of Advanced Technology

Perhaps technology holds a key to closing the skills gap.

Technical training has benefited from a rise in technological innovations that make it easier to impart valuable skills in a cost-effective way to students and workers. These technical training aids range from augmented reality programs and equipment to virtual reality, emulators, analytical software, and fully-functional models and simulators.

Not only does this technology leave students who complete the course with more marketable skills and knowledge; it also motivates students who enjoy using hands-on technology that is immersive and engaging.

This harkens back to the old standard, “Training Within Industry” (TWI), which became the predominant form of training during World War II. TWI focused on quickly developing replacement workers for the war effort based on speed, efficiency, and minimalist training. The idea was to create a direct transfer of knowledge from the trainer to the student so that concepts could be developed into usable skills in the most efficient way possible.

TWI has seen a resurgence lately, and much of it is because technology creates an easier way for trainers to teach students than ever before. Some have come to call this “augmented TWI” – using technology and computer software/hardware to augment the training process with virtual reality, visual overlays, and analytical computer programs that significantly increase student comprehension.

In this way, technical training aids are helping to close the skills gap by quickly training replacement workers to keep up with demand.

Removing the Stigma of Skilled Work

Mike Rowe, the host of television’s “Dirty Jobs,” has made a name for himself as an advocate for skilled and unskilled work in the United States. Much of his success in advocating for jobs ranging from agricultural work to construction and manufacturing has come from the stigma skilled work has in this country – as not being “good enough” or somehow inferior to traditional careers and college degrees.

Our young citizens need to learn that there should be no stigma in pursuing unskilled or skilled work. Going to a trade school and becoming an electrician, welder, or plumber is no less beneficial or useful than becoming an accountant, lawyer, or doctor. And pursuing vocational education and training is not inferior to going to college because not everyone wants or needs to go to college in order to be successful.

That effort will take a lot of work from parents, teachers, industry leaders, and advocates like Mike Rowe, but will ultimately benefit the nation by ensuring a steady supply of new workers to take over for retiring workers – and ensure that supply continues to meet demand now and in the future.

Contact Us today to find out more about how Technical Training Aids can help you implement advanced technical training in your classroom.