Report: Tesla magnifies skilled labor shortage in Nevada (RGJ 11/12/14)
Report: Tesla magnifies skilled labor shortage in
Nevada
Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette Journal November 12, 2014
It's the classic good news, bad news
scenario.
On one hand, Tesla Motors' decision
to locate its gigafactory
in Nevada and create 6,500 full-time jobs at the facility is a huge boon for a
state that faced 14 percent unemployment just four years ago.
On the other hand, it also further
sheds light on an issue the state continues to struggle with as it tries to
diversify its economy: a shortage of skilled workers.
It's a problem documented in a new
Brookings Mountain West report released on Wednesday, which points to a
"STEM deficit" in Nevada that's further heightened by the Tesla
effect. The Silver State's ongoing challenges in filling skilled positions that
require science, technology, engineering and math is leading to "missed
opportunities," the report said.
Although the state has done a good
job in diversifying its economy after the recession, progress will be stunted
unless the skilled labor part of the equation is adequately addressed, said
Mark Muro, senior fellow and policy director of Brookings' Metropolitan Policy
Program. This includes taking advantage of increased interest in the region by
other companies following the Tesla gigafactory announcement.
"Nevada has a plausible
economic diversification strategy that's beginning to work," Muro said.
"Now it needs a serious people strategy — and STEM has to be part of
it."
TOUGH JOB
On average, it takes 30 days to fill
a STEM job opening in Nevada. In contrast, it takes 24 days to fill a non-STEM
position, according to the report.
The wait gets even longer for jobs
such as avionics technician and medical equipment repairer, which average 65
and 62 days respectively. Both positions factor into two key industries for the
state, aerospace and defense as well as health and medical services.
Software and app development, a key
skill sought by companies in Reno's Startup Row as well as the state's growing
business IT ecosystem, takes an average of 42 days to fill.
It's a problem that the region
already was experiencing even before Tesla's arrival, according to the
Brookings report. In the last three years, for example, the region saw 20 new
advanced manufacturing companies enter the area with another 20 or so
undergoing significant expansions, said Mike Kazmierski, president and CEO of
the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada.
The efforts led to almost 2,500 new
advanced manufacturing jobs — and that's just one STEM-related sector of the
economy. Add sectors such as unmanned aerial vehicles and medical services and
you're looking at even more skilled positions, Kazmierski added.
"All these are opportunities
right here in the Reno-Sparks area," Kazmierski said. "But if we
can't continue to excite people about STEM jobs and grow an educated workforce,
those companies will either cap out or go somewhere else."
WHAT'S CAUSING THE SHORTAGE?
One reason for the shortage is
misaligned workforce training, which is exacerbated by a lack of direction and
relevance for the state's industry sector councils, according to the report.
The councils were created to better align the education system with the labor
needs of key industries such as healthcare and medical services, manufacturing,
mining and aerospace.
Another factor is a "STEM
proficiency crisis" that affects all aspects of the state's education
system. According to the report, the state's academic shortfalls for STEM begin
all the way at the pre-kindergarten level due to uneven access to education.
Meanwhile, greater emphasis on test taking is taking away focus from science
and also placing less emphasis on nurturing imagination and creativity.
The education issues extend to high
school where some students graduate without the proficiency required for higher
education, according to the report. At the college level, only 12 percent of
students at the University of Nevada, Reno and the University of Nevada, Las
Vegas, graduate within four years with most taking six years to finish.
SOLUTIONS?
To address the issues, the report
recommended a reworking of the council system as well as the implementation of
STEM education at all grade levels. The report also brings up the
"STEAM" approach to education — which adds art and design to the STEM
formula to further encourage creative thinking — but stops short of fully
endorsing it.
While professional STEM jobs are
certainly important, Brookings emphasized the importance of blue-collar STEM
jobs as well. Although they may not necessarily pay as handsomely as professional
STEM positions, they still pay well compared to non-STEM jobs. In terms of
education, they also can take just two years to finish compared to the four
years often required by professional STEM fields.
"The state needs university
trained scientists and engineers to invent and create but it also needs
thousands of more blue-collar STEM workers to implement, operate, and maintain
high-tech systems," Muro said. "Tesla's plant is no exception. There
will be designers and developers and engineers but also thousands of
middle-skill assembly line people that will make it all work."
Regardless, the key is to go all-in
with STEM education to better position Nevada for the new economy, according to
Muro. Otherwise, the state will find itself squandering the great opportunities
opened by high-profile projects such as the Tesla gigafactory.
Kazmierski agreed.
"If we're serious about quality
jobs in the future, we need to be very serious about STEM education — and
that's from day one," Kazmierski said. "At the end of the day, if we
don't get serious about STEM, we're in trouble."
posted by cl @ 11:32 AM
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