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ocal Manufacturing by Seraine Page experts are seeing in the industry is filling those jobs within those types of manufacturing facilities in the future .
The manufacturing skills gap in the U . S . is estimated to leave 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030 , according to Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute .
“ The challenges right now are the workforce ,” he says . “ The challenges are two-fold ; the industry needs someone who has the skill set and is willing to work . Societally , and with COVID , people have pulled away and said they ’ ll sit at home and do work . We ’ ve lost this desire to go out and work . It ’ s a fundamental challenge .” Luckily , Ray says , manufacturing industries are more than willing to train individuals . One example is FCMA ’ s Leadership Academy , which provides leadership training to front-line supervisors , team leads and mid-level managers . With many retiring in the next few years , the goal is to upskill the current talent in local manufacturing to help fill those gaps when retirees leave .
As for fresh talent , Ray sees companies like Johnson and Johnson going into high schools to promote joint education programs with colleges like Florida State College at Jacksonville ( FSCJ ). Such programs allow high school students to earn their diploma and an AA degree . Ray says it ’ s ideal for those who aren ’ t college-bound . Lake Ray
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