Machinists make business world work

By Jennifer Molin

There is not one thing in this world that is not affected by a machinist and the shop where he or she works. This is true from the air we breathe, which we heat, cool, dry, moisten and purify by furnaces, air conditioners, purifiers and humidifiers, to the water we drink, where machines make the glass and manufactured parts pump the contents to the kitchen sink.

The next time you get into an automobile, think about the fact that everything you see and touch has, itself, been seen and touched by a machinist. From the fender to the bumper, all that is behind the dashboard and under the hood was brought to life by a machinist.

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich? A machinist was involved in the equipment that was used to plant, harvest and prepare the wheat, peanuts and fruit for consumption. Sure, one can grow one's own food, but how many of us really do? To get the variety of food that we eat, with the ease that we do, we can't and we don't do it alone.

Considering the impact that such skills have on all of our lives, one would think that the world would be awash with machinists. It is not. I and my colleagues at other manufacturing facilities in this country and abroad are desperate for employees, both men and women, with the skills to operate the machines that make all the "stuff' that the world's population wants and needs.

Part of the problem stems from a lack of comprehension the public has about manufacturing. People simply don't understand how much of the world around them is made possible by the skilled hands of machinists, crafting parts from metal, wood and plastic.

Another obstacle is the misconception about the working conditions in the machining trade. Many people form a mental image of dimly lit factories, with rows and rows of machines, with people almost manacled to them in slave-like conditions. The modern reality, however, is that machining has evolved into a very high-tech profession, with a modern work environment that is both clean and safe.

Most, if not all, of the equipment that is used by today's machinist is computerized. This means not only must the work environment remain clean, in many cases it must also be air conditioned. Today's equipment also means that its operators can be very involved employees.

Neither is the dearth of skilled employees because of the pay scale in manufacturing businesses. Entry level toolmakers can average $27,000 a year, during a four-year training program. Experienced precision metalworkers' earnings range from $40,000 to $60,000 annually.

Charmilles Technologies, a machine tool maker, put together some statistics that it had gathered from the U.S. Bureau of Labor, the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Science Foundation/SRS and the National Tooling and Machining Association that compare a 26-year-old in three different fields.

These are average incomes in all the categories, and vary approximately plus or minus 35 percent based on location in this country, as well as skill level, and they do include base pay plus overtime. But still, despite all that, the comparisons are impressive. The 26-year-old employee, with the BS degree in business, will be making $31,000, the fast-food counter worker will see $12,000 annually, while the precision machinist or toolmaker will earn on average of $41,000 annually.

There are 15,000 manufacturing companies in the United States employing a total of more than 400,000, and in that number there exists about 30,000 job openings. The U.S. government projects there will be two job openings for every new certified precision metalworker through 2005.

Building our industry so that we can continue building the vital equipment we all rely upon means requiring the industry to step up its recruitment efforts. This involves outreach to students before they enter high school, as early as the 6th or 7th Grade. The catch is that at this young age, they are hardly interested in anything that addresses future careers.

Parents also pose an important obstacle. Because of societal pressures and misconceptions, parents often push their children towards college and careers such as medicine or law, that are perceived as more prestigious and lucrative. The really, however, is that machinists undergo paid training and earn a higher wage than, for example, lawyers who must compete for jobs in a saturated market.

So where does someone go to get an education in this field? This is part of the reason for the manufacturing labor shortage. Twenty to 30 years ago, large and even medium-sized manufacturing facilities used to have very competitive apprenticeship programs.

A combination of a loss of students, a drift towards college programs, the proliferation of less-expensive, two-year junior colleges and the fact that industry still had plenty of skilled employees, caused companies to shortsightedly eliminate their apprenticeship programs. Now, many companies of all sizes are installing training programs, many of which are including the National Institute for Metal Working Skills standards.

The NIMS standards, which were developed with the blessing of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is another reaction to our employee crisis. That's because not only do we want and need employees, but we want employees that have been trained well, and we want to know what they have been trained in.

With the NIMS a prospective employee can tell a future employer at what skill level he or she has passed and everyone knows where that person should be. There is no guessing on anyone's ability.

The Boston Tooling and Machining Association (BTMA), which is the local chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA), has been very active in introducing the NIMS standards to the vocational schools, another place for an education in the machining trade, as well as the local colleges.

Two years ago, North Shore Community College. in its continuing education department, set up a machinist program, under the direction of Bob Ross. The student can use the credits from this program, towards an associate degree. Ross, who has enthusiastically adopted the NIMS standards, has had male and female students. Some have come directly from high school, others have been working for several years and have returned looking for a new direction, and some have been sent by their company. There is also a degree program at N.H. Tech in Nashua, NH.

The BTMA has also been actively involved in the E-Team program in Lynn, which is a 20 week academic and machine shop occupational training program. The program. which was designed by the industry (GE and BTMA) is for members of the workforce who are either unemployed or under-employed, and who have little or no experience in a machine shop.

For the machining industry to survive and grow, both perception and reality must change. Educating the public as to the important role machinists serve is the necessary start to this image makeover, and a top priority of shop owners concemed with building a brighter future. As long as people rely on machines and the scientists of the world to invent things, the machining profession will always be with us. There will always be a need for machinists to bring those ideas into a physical form.

Jennifer Molin is the owner of Northeast EDM Co. in Newburyport.