Local educators sent a clear message to manufacturers last week: If you want our students to have real-world experiences before entering the workforce, give them internships and apprenticeships.

With that, the room of more than 90 people errupted in applause as big-name businesses connected with guidance counselors, teachers, principals and school board members during Manufacturing and Education Connections held June 14 at the Augusta KROC Center.

The SRS Community Reuse Organization hosted the first-ever event to help educators in Georgia and South Carolina address the hard truth that at least 3.5 million jobs will open nationwide—many in manufacturing — by 2025 but that only 1.4 million of those jobs will actually be filled, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Why? An overwhelming skills gap, including basic skills that can’t be learned from a book, like teamwork, pride and punctuality.

“We need to make educators aware of the modern manufacturing careers available locally, and we want manufacturers to understand how hard educators are working to develop future employees,” said Dr. Lisa Palmer, Chair of the SRSCRO Regional Workforce Committee and Vice President of Economic Development at Augusta Technical College. “Our goal is to foster stronger partnerships that prevent an overwhelming skills gap locally.”

But the question remains: If businesses don’t offer work programs, how will students learn valuable employment skills? “The most authentic experience is called the shop floor,” said Aiken County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Sean Alford, who spoke at the event. “Give our students internships and apprentices. Teach them the consequences of showing up late. Let them earn an honest wage for a hard day’s work.”

Partnerships between industry and education have proven successful. Reaching Potential Through Manufacturing is one of several examples. RPM — a partnership between Textron Specialized Vehicles and the Richmond County School System — helps students at risk of not graduating make up lost ground toward a high school diploma while earning income and realworld experiences. Students chosen for the program assemble parts and components for E-Z-Go golf carts and off-road vehicles.

“We’re giving these kids purpose and worth,” said Dr. Angela Pringle, Richmond County Public Schools Superintendent. “We’re giving them opportunity and exposure. We’re getting them ready to go to college or right to work. We’re giving them a hand up, not a hand out. RPM is a perfect example of how corporate America can motivate students.”

For local students, particularly at the high school level, other manufacturers in the immediate area also see the value of putting young people to work, although most admit that more must be done. Those companies include MTU America, which builds diesel-powered engines from its Graniteville, S.C. plant, and Barnwell, S.C.-based Swiss KRONO USA, which manufactures laminate flooring.

“Manufacturing is the foundation of our economy, and we must emphasize that a four-year degree, while valuable, is not suited for everyone,” said Jeremy Diebel, senior manager of machining at MTU America.

Manufacturing adds significant value to the economy. The average factory worker also makes $180,000 worth of goods every year, more than three times what was produced in 1978. But a recent survey showed that only 1 out of every 3 parents encouraged their children to follow a manufacturing career.

“On the plant floor, you see how quiet, how clean, how high-tech manufacturing has become,” Diebel said. MTU America’s Apprenticeship Program first launched in 2012 to give ninth through 12th graders a structured training system. It has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, and company representatives met several years ago with the U.S. Secretary of Education to discuss the program as a first of its kind focused on high school students.

“We must do a better job informing children that working for a manufacturer is rewarding both personally and financially,” said Zeb Portanova, president and CEO of Swiss KRONO USA. “It starts with teaching young people a skill and inspiring them to work with their hands, their head and their hearts.”

What’s Next?

The idea for Manufacturing and Education Connections was born out of the Regional Workforce Summit hosted in 2016 by the SRSCRO. Business leaders in Aiken, Allendale, Barnwell, Richmond and Columbia counties expressed several challenges, including how to attract skilled workers in those local regions that are experiencing a “silver tsunami” as an aging workforce retires.

“Manufacturing and Education Connections continues our efforts to pass the word to parents and students through educators that this region offers many lucrative career options,” said event organizer Mindy Mets, who serves as the NWI® Program Manager for the SRSCRO.

The group also is considering plans to host a similar event aimed at cyber security and healthcare, both which promise to open many job opportunities across the two-state area, Mets said.