The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond's Community Conversations team visited Summerville and Chesterfield counties in South Carolina, where leaders discussed the difficulties faced by companies in finding skilled workers, as well as housing shortages.
“They are piloting programs in the area middle and high schools for megatronics and robotics and are forming partnerships between community colleges, manufacturers and schools with hopes that students can see how clean and modern today’s manufacturing plants are,” Richmond Fed Community Development Manager Erika Bell said in a July 24 release by the bank.
Leaders in the two South Carolina counties told Richmond Fed's Bell, along with Fed President Tom Barkin, Regional Executive for South Carolina Matthew Martin that manufacturing companies have substantial work from their clients, but they are short on workers to complete it.
Martin said it's too soon to judge the pilot program's effectiveness, but he added that one of the participating had already ignited the interest of her son, who has applied for the company’s apprenticeship program. One benefit to Chesterfield County is that one of its municipalities, Pageland, is just 40 miles from Charlotte, NC, which could allow workers to commute into the city for the available jobs. The region is also adding housing developments to potentially accommodate more workers, the release stated.
However, since many manufacturers lack available manpower, some organizations now have idle machinery, and an increasing number are turning to automated technologies instead.
“We clearly heard that manufacturers are looking at automation because they can’t find enough workers with the skills or interest in the area,” Martin said.
A company in Cheraw, located in Chesterfield County, employs about 1,200 people, the majority of whom come from other counties, which has led to an increased effort to recruit and train workers from Northeastern Technical College as well as nearby high schools]
With more schools offering megatronics and robotics as well as more educational programs about manufacturing, Richmond Fed officials say there is room for growth.
In order to improve their infrastructure and get ready for potential enterprises and housing projects in the future, many communities have also become more forward-thinking, Fed officials said, adding that they will return to the area soon to meet with leaders to track the success that the manufacturing plants in Summerville and Chesterfield counties.
