Community colleges race to fill job skills gap

By WEI YU
Capital News Service
LANSING – Students at Jackson Community College can now learn welding skills through two new programs.
Rebekah Woods, executive dean of instruction at the college, said the programs began because of a need in the area, but also across the country. Other community colleges around the state, including ones in Alpena, Grand Rapids and Centreville, are also initiating new programs to fill the needs of employers and students. According to the American Welding Society, the United States will experience a shortage of nearly 240,000 welders to meet industry demand by 2019. “Welders are highly specialized and have lots of career advancement opportunities,” said Woods. “Students can begin our manufacturing pathway with a foundational skill set that is designed to expose students to the process of welding.”
Woods said welding is used in a wide range of fields, such as automobile manufacturing and repair, appliances, ships and construction equipment.