Highlands, PA CareerLink focus on manufacturing jobs as alternative to college

Jim Rugh knows one thing for sure: Companies like his need workers to fill manufacturing jobs.

As human resources manager for Washington Township manufacturer Composidie Inc., Rugh is familiar with the challenges employers face when looking for workers.

“Anything we can do to help make people more aware of the manufacturing jobs that are open in the local area, it helps,” Rugh said.

That’s why Rugh and Composidie will be targeting Highlands High School juniors and seniors at the district’s job fair next week.

His company and other local manufacturers are partnering with PA CareerLink to bring a simple message to high school students: There are good-paying jobs close to home that don’t require a college education.

“We can educate people as well as train them for skilled positions.”

Even with the state’s unemployment rate around 3.5% — the lowest since 1976 — the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association says there are more job openings in the state than since before the pandemic.

Tammy Croyle, site administrator for PA CareerLink, said the job fair will educate students on the potential to learn while they earn.

“There’s a lot of apprenticeship opportunities, during which they can earn credentials for an associate’s degree and, in some cases, the employer will help them pay for more schooling,” Croyle said. “Manufacturing is big for that right now.”

Manufacturing is expected to employ more than 571,000 Pennsylvanians by 2025, according to the state’s Center for Workforce Information and Analysis.

That represents almost 11% of the state’s workforce, and those companies produce almost 12% of the state’s total economic output, according to the National Association of Manufacturers.

The job fair also will work to shift mindsets, Croyle said.

“At one time, manufacturing was considered a dirty job,” she said.

Now, it’s a high-paying, computerized gig and one that someone with no skill set can be trained to perform.

Manufacturing jobs in the state pay $18 to $33 an hour, according to ZipRecruiter. The average manufacturing salary is $25.35 an hour, or about $52,000 a year.

Highlands Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said the job fair dovetails perfectly with a new Highlands initiative, Career and Workforce Readiness program intended to expose students of all ages to options that will prepare them for post-school success.

College isn’t for everyone, Mawhinney noted.

“This job fair will allow students to learn more about the various careers that they can research while still in high school,” she said. “I think it is valuable for them to be able to speak with experts in the fields so they can ask questions and hear from those doing the work every day.”

The job fair will be Thursday at the Highlands Community Center in Harrison. It’s open to the public from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and to students from 1 to 2:15 p.m.

There are 20 companies participating in the job fair, including Smithfield Foods, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 5, Composidie Inc., ESS, Private Industry Council, Oberg, Re:Build Manufacturing, Curtiss Wright, Quality Machine Products, Schaedler Yesco and the PA Laborers Training Center.

“We’re very excited about working with the school,” Croyle said. “Employers need people, and the cost of furthering your education can prohibit a lot of people from going to college.

“This is an option for a better career without costing them a lot of money.”