As state jobless rates drop, skilled labor training paramount

LYNN – Employment data released Tuesday by the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reflects considerable jobs gains across the commonwealth from February to March, with the unemployment rate statewide dropping from 7.5 percent in February to 6.4 percent in March, and in Lynn, for the same period, from 8.5 percent to 7.2 percent.Rena Kottcamp, director of research for the state Department of Unemployment, told The Item that part of the drop in unemployment rates is due to seasonal trade workers going back to their jobs. But, she said, hiring is picking up in many sectors, which is evidence the economic recovery is picking up pace.Jennifer James, state undersecretary for workforce development, said sectors seeing the strongest growth are advanced manufacturing, financial services and health care.?In every pocket of Massachusetts there are programs geared around a pathway to a career in healthcare,” she said.Mary Sarris, executive director of the North Shore Workforce Investment Board, said that while the figures are encouraging, the challenge locally remains producing enough skilled workers to fill available advanced manufacturing jobs.Sarris said she attended a statewide meeting of the Mass Technology Collaborative on Tuesday morning and the focus was on the shortage of skilled workers for these positions that pay $90,000 a year or higher.?There is great potential for growth in advanced manufacturing on the North Shore,” she said. “We have a niche market, a very high location-quotient number depicting the percentage of industry in relation to the percentage statewide: Statewide the number is 1 and (the North Shore) is around 1.7 and 1.8 for advanced manufacturing.?We have an enclave in manufacturing, primarily in aerospace, medical devices and semi-conductors,” Sarris said. “These are high-skill jobs but don?t necessarily require a four-year degree. It?s great to have a four-year degree but with a one-year certificate program or two-year associate degree, a person can get a job that pays $90,000.”Sarris said, while polished written and oral communication skills are essential for any job, math and science are the key skills for these lucrative advanced manufacturing jobs.?There?s a gamut of skills needed for these jobs and there?s a lot of math in there,” Sarris said. “Analogic makes MRI machines and you want that to be right. If you?re making an engine for an airplane, you want that to be right ? People have to learn to like math and not fear it.”Sarris touted North Shore Community College?s pilot certificate program for advanced manufacturing and its two-year degree program.North Shore Community College President Wayne Burton said, “Massachusetts is doing extremely well (with job gains). And our data at North Shore Community College suggests we have close alignment of our programs with the job requirements in the region.Burton said the pilot manufacturing certificate program launched at North Shore Community College in conjunction with General Electric has been a huge success and that he received calls from around the country from schools interested in emulating it.?Our next step is to make it available to everyone,” he said. “The trouble right now is capacity and resources. We are trying to expand the Lynn campus so we can make sure that everyone who needs post-secondary education can get to post-secondary education. Everyone needs some post-secondary education, not necessarily a four-year degree.”Burton said he is encouraged by news that Lynn Vocational Technical High School plans to reinstate its machine shop program next year.?Students who come out of that program can come right over to us,” he said.Sean Leonard can be reached at [email protected].