Thread: Trade Apprentices --Available Americans or New Illegals

August 18, 2007


Trade Apprentices --Available Americans or New Illegals
Lee Ellis

Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez recently said, in a press conference, "…it is clear that there are jobs Americans are not willing to do, or available to do."
While we have heard over and over again government bureaucrats talk about jobs that Americans WON'T do, it was interesting to hear Secretary Gutierrez also use the phrase, "jobs Americans are not AVAILABLE to do."

What does this really mean?

To me and many business owners it means that too many "trade apprentices" such as plumbers, mechanics, carpenters etc. are no longer coming out of today's high schools. We are beginning to see an extreme shortage of Americans who are trained to do these jobs.

Last May, Deloitte & Touche, an advisory, financial, management firm, wrote, "… Specifically, research finds: today's skill shortages are extremely broad and deep, cutting across industry sectors and having an impact on more than 80 percent of companies surveyed. Skills shortages are having a widespread impact on manufacturers' abilities to achieve production levels, increase productivity and meet customer demands High-performance workforce requirements have significantly increased as a result of the skills gap shortage and the challenge of competing in a global economy, according to nearly 75 percent of survey respondents."

Why is this happening? I suspect that this is occurring because for the past decade or more, the "politically correct" crowd has insisted that all kids should go to college, even if many preferred a trade rather than a professional career. As a result, shop classes have been shut down in almost all schools and more teachers are being encouraged to prepare their students for college entrance exams.

Also, as a result, more kids are dropping out of high school because they had wanted or needed jobs as soon as they graduated. But without the skills, without the training for working in the many trades needed, it is not easy to become an apprentice worker.

It gets down to one simple fact --- not enough schools today are teaching kids how to work with their hands! Too many children (and their parents) are being made to feel as second class citizens if they do not go to college. In past years, high schools along with private, affordable academies turned out graduates who were capable of entering all types of work. Since students would take several years of languages as well as complete courses of English literature along with civics, history, geography and all forms of math and business courses, most were prepared to enter either college or the business world. But students could also learn trades, how to work with their hands in mechanics, plumbing and other shop classes, They also studied music and arts, if they desired. Thus they could pursue good paying trades for a comfortable living, whether playing in a band or repairing an air conditioner or a car. Even if they did not do these things for a living, all of them came in handy in later life whether used in maintaining a home or enjoying as a hobby.
What do the trades pay in today's world? It varies by locale and some job seekers may have to move around to get what they want. When I got out of the military, I had to be willing to move from city to city to find work at better pay. Hard work and a willingness to relocate will always pay off.

Here, courtesy of the Employment Policy Foundation, is a look at the best-paying occupations at varying education levels:

Top Paying Jobs That Do Not Require a High School Degree
These jobs tend to require substantial on-the-job training and work experience rather than formal education and schooling:

Industrial production managers -- $36,000
Bailiffs, correctional officers and jailers -- $36,400
Drafters -- $36,000
Construction manager -- $33,600
Electricians -- $31,900

(Location will vary these figures greatly. For example, a journeyman electrician in Chicago or Seattle (according to PayScale.com) has a median hourly rate of about $35 per hour which could mean over $72,000 per year.)

Top Paying Jobs for High School Graduates

These occupations emphasize work experience and on-the-job training rather than formal education:

Computer software engineers -- $58,900
Computer/information systems managers -- $56,400
Computer programmers -- $55,000
Network systems and data communications analysts -- $49,000
General and operations managers -- $48,000
Database, network and computer systems administrators -- $48,000

Good professional painters, mechanics, plumbers and carpenters are also supporting families and new homes with money to spare.

I believe that unless schools start helping American students who have no desire to go to college to become aware of these soon-to-be job possibilities as a result of basic high school training, two things will happen:
1. More kids will drop out of school and thus run the risk of joining gangs or turning to crime.
2. Businesses will be forced to hire more foreigners from other nations to fill these jobs, no longer finding Americans available to do them.

We are all either immigrants or all descended from immigrants (There were no true Americans on this once hostile territory - even the American Indians originally came to this continent from other continents, crossing over through Alaska to our plains and mountains.) Nevertheless, our current borders are porous, and as a result, illegal crossings are bringing in unskilled workers who are doing our agricultural work that supposedly most Americans do not want. However as these illegal crossings continue, many illegal aliens are developing new skills in order to get better jobs. So we now see them entering the work forces here of not just agriculture or landscaping, but also the hospitality , construction and service industries. Some have also been able acquire motels, convenience stores and nail salons. But, given the opportunity, along with proper encouragement from school administrators, teachers and counselors, the many American students heading from local public schools to the work force can take and do these jobs as available Americans!

Many companies see the coming shortage of many Americans skilled in trades and are taking action. Richard N. Parsons, a former officer with Siemens writes:

"During my time as vice-president, Siemens Enterprise Networks, we implemented specific educational initiatives in partnership with community colleges, colleges and universities in the U.S. to provide critical vocational skills to our workforce. Siemens, a German electronics and engineering firm that's over 160 years old, quickly embraced our requests to provide capital equipment, classroom space, vocational education curriculum and mentors as well as financial support. Germany is one of the world's leaders in vocational education and my company recognizes the imperative requirement for the types of skills you've outlined in your op-ed. We believed these skills were critical to our future competitiveness and we made--and continue to make--significant investments in this arena. I personally spent much time on this initiative--it was vital to our business future--along with other senior executives in our U.S. business. Incidentally, Siemens employs 75,000 people in the U. S. alone (over 400,000 world-wide)...a great example of "in-sourcing"...a term you never hear from the Democrats and their union pals."
(Mr. Parsons office was in San Francisco although his headquarters was in Germany. He now resides in La Quinta, CA).

Carol Ascher has written about another factor that also affects students, "…when schools tolerate absenteeism, truancy, tardiness, sloppy work, and misbehavior, they are not helping students establish necessary work habits. Although employers seldom consider grades or test scores, which high schools prospective entry-level employees attend can be important because of the social attitudes and skills presumed to have been taught."

In other words, tough schools that demand discipline really help students to get better jobs and make more money when they get out! Parents need to support such schools!

So while there may be some jobs that Americans won't do; let's all work to make sure that there will always be available Americans for all good paying jobs needed by American enterprise to better serve our country! Work with your school systems and local businesses to make sure that this is happening. Good jobs mean less crime and happier families!

Isn't this what America is all about ---being able to enjoy the pursuit of happiness?


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Lee Ellis is a retired journalist and narrator, formerly with both CBS and Gannett (USA Weekend). He was also a combat veteran of WWII, having fought in the South Pacific invasions. He had the pleasure of interviewing Ronald Reagan as an actor and then later working to help him become Governor of California. At the age of 80, he is keeping busy writing and doing free lance narrations for radio and television. He is an active member of Rotary and the VFW.

http://www.opinioneditorials.com/guestc ... 70818.html

OH PLEASE. WHAT BS. HOW HARD IS IT TO TRAIN TO BE A PAINTER OR A PLUMBER....OR A ROOFER OR ANY OF THAT. IF IT IS OFFERED TO AMERICANS....AND IT PAYS WELL....AMERICANS WILL DO IT.

THEY USE TO DO IT. IT USE TO PAY WELL UNTIL THEY LET IN SCAB LABOR TO UNDERCUT WAGES. JUST GET RID OF THE SCAB LABOR AND TRAIN AMERICANS.

THEY JUST WANT TO MAKE IT SOUND COMPLICATED BECAUSE THEY DONT WANT TO DO IT.

THEY SHOULD INTRODUCE A BILL THAT EMPLOYERS HAVE TO PAY ANYONE WHO IS NOT A US CITIZEN $100 DOLLARS AN HOUR PLUS FULL MED INS.

BELIEVE ME THIS WOULD TURN THINGS AROUND. ONLY CITIZENS WOULD HAVE JOBS. AND THERE WOULD BE NO ILLEGALS HERE OR LEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

THE REASON IS WE DONT NEED THEM. BUSINESSES JUST DO THIS TO GET FREE LABOR. BUT IF IT WAS RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE TO GET FOREIGN LABOR, THEY WOULD HIRE CITIZENS.

the Employment Policy Foundation is full of it

We need people who actually produce tangible value. This is done by skilled labor and machines.

I am not saying that there is no need for managerial and administrative personnel but I think it is easy for too many people, armed with new college degrees, to crowd into these fields. Thus, to create opportunities for these newly minted graduates we are forced to accept a rapidly growing population. One could see this very clearly in the social services professions: Obviously, a huge new underclass requires, at least in liberal policy, more social service workers. The question we need to ask is, "Why do we need this huge new underclass in the first place?"

In the Twentieth Century the United States became the leading producer of items that the rest of the world needed for the long ascent to modernization. Now our position is challenged by emerging industrial rivals. This is a very tough new set of circumstances but I don't believe that importing a huge new class of marginally skilled people who demand care and benefits is the best way to meet this challenge. It is similar to our addiction to foreign oil. Convenient in the short tern, maybe, but carrying consequences for the long run.

People wrestled with these same issues thousands of years ago. In the formation of the Christian religion hard manual work was elevated and honored. Jesus Christ's original followers were all working people, producing tangible value with the work of their hands. Even Luke, worked with his hands as a physician. They were wary of people who sat around espousing various ideas and teachings, effectively sponging off the rest of the community. We should be, too.