Press Release

FROM: Ann Houston, Communications and Marketing Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education 1500 W. Seventh Ave., Stillwater, OK 74074 Phone: 405-743-5109 Fax: 405-743-5541 e-mail:ahous@okcareertech.org

CareerTech, SkillsUSA-VICA and Industry Address Skilled Worker Shortages For decades, the Oklahoma CareerTech system and business and industry leaders have worked together to educate, train, and hire students who emerge into the pipeline of skilled workers. Today, the need for a pipeline of younger skilled workers is reaching critical mass to fill gaps caused by skilled craftsmen and women who are retiring in droves. That’s why industry continues to actively participate in CareerTech events. Every year, more than 1,500 Oklahoma high school and adult students compete in more than 45 challenging skilled trade events at the state and national SkillsUSA-VICA Leadership and Skills Championships. SkillsUSA-VICA is the student organization supporting CareerTech’s high school and adult trade, industrial and technical occupations students. These programs are taught on the 54 campuses of Oklahoma’s technology center system. Some of these competitive events are: 3D visualization and animation, automotive technology, aviation maintenance technology, computer maintenance technology, electronics, horticulture, and the construction trades. “Industry provides mentors and apprenticeships for our programs,” said Dennis Ruttman, state program administrator for CareerTech trade and industrial programs. “They also set the standards, provide judges, funding, equipment and scholarships for these events. Many of the winners advancing to the National Skills Events in Kansas City in June will be hired right off the floor.” Brandt Nashert, vice-president of Nashert Constructors, Inc. and president of the Association of General Contractors (AGC) of the Oklahoma Commercial Building Chapter judged the team events at the recent state SkillsUSA-VICA spring competitions. These teams were comprised of four students, one per category: construction, masonry, electricity and plumbing. Nashert sees first hand the need for more skilled workers, and looks to CareerTech’s trade and industrial students to help fill the void. “We have a shrinking pool of construction workers, yet people still want buildings to be built – and built faster,” according to Nashert. “The average age of these workers is 50,” Nashert said. “For every worker that’s entering the construction fields, two are leaving. We (the AGC) hope to recruit students out of CareerTech programs, taking the top two from each tech center to an Oklahoma City job site as part of their education.” The AGC provides apprenticeships and accreditation programs and has had a long-standing, good relationship with CareerTech, he said. Nashert hopes that some of these students will become job superintendents, which are salaried and important positions to the job site. Hourly wages for skilled labor is about $12-13, some starting at $14. All wages are based on merit, he said. Shown in the photo from the left are: Randy Nance, director of business development at M.L. Young Construction, located in Edmond, who also serves as education chair on the Association of General Contractors (AGC) board of directors; Career Tech’s SkillsUSA-VICA state advisor Julie Tapp; and Brandt Nashert, vice-president of Nashert Constructors, Inc., located in Oklahoma City, and president of the AGC Oklahoma Commercial Building Chapter. Industry support to these students has never been so critical and so evident as it is once a year at the state conference. There, employees, executives and presidents of these industries and companies volunteer their time and donate equipment and scholarships to medalists, with plans of employing the graduates of CareerTech programs. Gene Mundy, quality engineer for KF Industries, a petro-chemical valve manufacturing company located in Oklahoma City, judged the automated machine technology competitive event. Last year KF was recognized as “Exporter of the Year.” Randy Nance, director of business development for M.L.Young Construction, judged team events. Nance also serves as education chair on the AGC board of directors. Mundy echoes the concerns about the aging workforce, as well as conceptions that people have about the manufacturing industry. He works to dispel “manufacturing myths” through his participation in programs at Metro Technology Centers and Oklahoma City Public Schools. Management at KF and at Corporate, Circor International, view participation in these programs as community outreach and as good citizenship, Mundy said. “There is less interest in industrial arts due, in part, to the myths that manufacturing plants are dank and dark places to work,” he said. “We need students to realize that we have a range of positions that include, for example, engineers and safety personnel. Last year we were recognized by the State Labor Department for working one million hours without a loss of time due to injury or accidents.” Nance, who has served as mentor for both high school males and females, also sees a need to work with students when they’re younger to spark interest in his field. “We (AGC) built a kit for fifth and seventh graders,” Nance said. “We’re working on one for the ninth to peak interest at a younger age in the construction trades. These kits show how arithmetic and other academic studies link to the construction trades.” Other companies and associations supportive of CareerTech and SkillsUSA-VICA include: Snap-On Tools, Gulf States Toyota, Home Depot, Emco Meyer, Inc., Dolese Concrete Co., Delco Diesel, York, Hunter Equipment, Bosch Power Tools, DeWalt, Miller Electric, Freight Liner Trucks and the list goes on. posted 5/20l03 Related Links Association of General Contractors Oklahoma SkillsUSA-VICA SkillsUSA-VICA Leadership and Skills Championships Image Gallery

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