NW Youth Careers Expo Enters 4th Year

Published: April 17, 2008

The fourth annual NW Youth Careers Expo descends upon the Oregon Convention Center Thursday May 8 from 9a.m. until 2p.m. The career expo, sponsored in part by members of Manufacturing 21 Coalition, uses a hands-on approach to stir interest in manufacturing and other careers students may not have otherwise considered.

“We have a backhoe, scissor lift, obstacle course, robotics, welding, crane demo, many different other demos from Oregon Health & Sciences University, gear from Portland Fire and Rescue, a circuit wall and much more,” says event manager Stephanie Kennedy. “We are expecting 65 exhibits and 4,500 students from throughout Southwest Washington and Oregon.”

Metals manufacturing companies will make up a large part of the expo.

According to the Oregon Metals Initiative, the metals industry is a key component of the region’s manufacturing mosaic, providing more than 55,000 jobs with an average annual income of $35,000. Oregon metal companies craft everything from knives, pipes, bridges, aircraft components, boats, and in the case of Columbia Wire & Iron Works, all of the structural steel for the Experience Music Project in Seattle. Now that’s what we call heavy metal!

Life-changing experiences

All cliché puns aside, the 2008 career expo promises to be the largest and most successful to date. A March 2008 Portland Tribune article reports Eric Ginter, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, is a recent hire at Columbia Wire & Iron Works. “This job has changed my life. My quality of life is outstanding,” Ginter said in the story. He earns more than $16 an hour plus benefits as an apprentice. In time Ginter has the potential to earn three times that amount, reports the Tribune.

A February 2008 report by Susan Helper of the Economic Policy Institute points out the average manufacturing worker earns an income 20 percent higher than the national average, with a weekly income of $725.

While people working in manufacturing may be accustomed to high wages and benefits, many leaders in the industry struggle to find employees to fill their open positions.

According to Helper, a new study from the National Association of Manufacturers finds “90 percent of manufacturers report a moderate-to-severe shortage of skilled production employees, and 65 percent report a moderate-to-severe shortage of scientists and engineers.”

Don McIntosh, associate editor of the NW Labor Press, notes in a February 2007 article, “A shift in culture has made young people less interested in technical occupations, and the K-12 school system isn’t steering students toward skilled trades careers.”

Retiring workers create opportunities

On a more general basis, the manufacturing industry accounts for 200,000 jobs in Southwest Washington and Oregon, according to Manufacturing 21. Organizers of the expo estimate 14,000 new workers will be needed in the metals industry by 2012 to replace an aging workforce, creating opportunity for graduates and stability to our regions economy.

Kennedy says this year’s expo has more options for students aged 16 years and older who are looking for summer jobs and internships. She says the expo has information booths ranging from construction, healthcare, arts/technology and, of course, manufacturing.

In just four years the expo has doubled in size and last year attracted more than 4,000 high school age visitors. For more information, visit the expo Web Site.

http://www.nwyouthcareersexpo.org