what ’ s working
Phil Stephenson of PACCAR said they ’ re designing the next generation of electric and hydrogen fuel cell trucks at Mount Vernon and building them in Renton . They need skilled workers to build that green future .
“ We see a real need for training that workforce , from the workers on the manufacturing lines to the technicians to the engineers ,” Stephenson said .
We could help address workforce challenges by expanding the labor pool in general , said Allison Budvarson of Out of the Box Manufacturing , by focusing and targeting underserved populations .
Budvarson , who serves as co-chair of AWB ’ s manufacturing task force , also noted that manufacturing , especially for firms in their early stages , is often lowmargin . Reducing costs imposed by the state will help those startup employers survive and grow .
Dave Whitehead of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories said his employeeowned company has been providing child care for years , with 100 kids in the day care they operate .
“ I ’ m pretty familiar with all the regulations that have to go into standing up a day care , so if we could maybe help focus on reducing regulations , I could get more day cares popping up here in Pullman ,” he said , noting that their neighboring communities in Idaho have a much easier time setting up day care facilities .
He also said adding more trade skills to high school would be helpful — math and science related to technicians and electricians rather than calculus .
Russ Vaagen of Vaagen Timbers said the cost of hiring is triple what he ’ s seen in the past . He attributes that to people wanting to stay on unemployment .
“ How do we incentivize people to take that entry level job and maybe get some benefit for keeping that job for 12 months ,” Vaagen said .
He also suggested helping employers open up their on-the-job training outside of their immediate workforce , in cooperation with local community and technical colleges .
He said when visiting Germany , he sees students in grades 10 , 11 and 12 who aren ’ t on a college track have school hours set aside to spend time on local manufacturing shop floors .
“ These people become engineers and very highperforming members of these companies ,” Vaagen said . “ I ’ ve talked to a lot of CEOs , directors of engineering and they went through this kind of apprenticeship program .”
The council will continue its work this year with the goal of presenting recommendations to the Department of Commerce and the Legislature to support and expand the state ’ s manufacturing sector in all parts of Washington .
“ Thank you for what you ’ re doing ,” Gov . Jay Inslee said to the Manufacturing Council during June ’ s meeting . “ Please keep building .”
“ The need for permitting reform is extremely high on my list . We hear on a regular basis that not only is it hard to start a new business but to even expand current businesses that are out there . It ’ s a permitting issue we need to tackle and solve here in Washington state .”
— Todd Mitchell of Heat and Frost Insulators Local 7
ways to support manufacturing in washington
As AWB works to make Washington a competitive place to do business , these are some priorities to help protect and expand the manufacturing sector — and all employers in our state .
• Protect and continue to invest in Washington ’ s core competitive advantages , including low energy costs .
• Prioritize infrastructure investments — the state has $ 222 billion in unaddressed infrastructure needs .
• Continually benchmark Washington ’ s tax incentives to ensure the state is competitive in comparison to other states .
• Review Washington ’ s existing regulatory system and determine areas of improvement by listening to manufacturers about the challenges and hurdles to new investment due to regulatory compliance and permitting processes .
• Invest in the next-generation workforce to inspire young people to pursue manufacturing careers and ensure they receive the education they need to enter the workforce .
24 association of washington business