The coming shortage of welders was highlighted as part of the Harvard Business Review’s latest article about the industries which may or not may not struggle as Baby Boomers retire. While some industries will not be impacted by an aging workforce, there are some welding companies that will need to take specific steps to ensure the new generation of workers receive essential knowledge from their older peers.
“In this case, the relationships between older and younger workers are critical. Older workers can be part of the solution (e.g., mentoring effectively), or they can exacerbate the problem, refusing to retire or share their knowledge. Executives facing this situation must pay special attention to retaining and utilizing older workers effectively. In addition, initiatives designed to improve mentoring skills and other knowledge transfer practices should be put in place to accelerate development and retention of younger staff. Organizations like Boston Scientific, MITRE, and some nuclear power plants have put elaborate programs in place to address specific knowledge transfer needs.”
If you’re looking to get ahead in the welding field, learning from experienced peers will be essential.
Here’s the latest round up of welding industry and job news:
Welding Education
Pennsylvania College Places 95% of Graduates: “These days, with the unemployment rate still at 7 percent, not too many college presidents can say without exaggeration that ‘employers are standing in line’ for their graduates. William Griscom can, however, and the longtime president of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology has the statistics to back it up, including a 95 percent job placement rate following graduation.”
