Manufacturing growing in MA, but skills needed

PALMER, Mass. (WWLP) - Manufacturing is expected to bring more than 100,000 jobs to Massachusetts over the coming years, but many of those new manufacturing jobs require specialized skills.

To highlight the importance of the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields for future job-seekers, Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray toured Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School in Palmer on Thursday.

Murray told 22News that he speaks with employers all the time, who tell him that they have jobs available, but they need more workers with skills, especially in the technical fields.

“We’re going to have 100,000 vacancies over the next 10 years. Talking to manufacturers right now, they have jobs, very good, well-paying jobs, but they don’t have people who can fill those jobs, and that’s why our voc-tech schools are so important, it’s why we’re re-tooling our workforce training programs, to meet the needs of manufacturing and other skills-oriented employment sectors,” Murray said.

He added that the STEM fields are often thought of only in terms of advanced degrees, but said that they cover other fields with a high school concentration, such as plumbing, machine tooling, and computer-assisted design.