Manufacturing Journalist Tr Cutler Discusses Welding Shortage and Resourcemfg

ResourceMFG is the nation's leading manufacturing support organization. It focuses on the demands of the manufacturing sector to serve the needs of employees and customers. The foundation of ResourceMFG is a commitment to understanding the specialized needs of clients, employees, and the community, which provide the foundation for success. Like the manufacturers they represent there is a philosophy of continuous improvement. ResourceMFG is dedicated to improving programs, processes, training and people to meet the diverse needs of the US manufacturing sector. A benchmark of the organization is on time delivery. The company understands manufacturing professionals and provides excellent programs and productive employees. ResourceMFG delivers the right person with the right skills at the right time. The key to delivering better manufacturing employees lies in the fact that it is all that ResourceMFG does.

According to manufacturing journalist Thomas R. Cutler in the current issue of The Machinist, “Quality welders are in short supply. The American Welding Society predicts that by 2010 demand for skilled welders may exceed the supply by about 200,000. Welders numbers dropped to 576,000 in 2005, a 10-percent decline since 2000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There is an overall shortage of skilled trades people affecting industries worldwide as production of industrial machinery grows at record levels; securing parts to build industrial goods has become a challenge. Trained welders starting salaries are in excess of $50,000 annually and often include sign-on bonuses and relocation funds.”

The average age of welders continues to ascend past middle fifties; as these experienced welders contemplate retirement, welding schools and plant floor training programs cannot create replacements fast enough to meet the demand. The result is a much higher wage for welders, an average increase of 17 percent since 2000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Small manufacturers suffer most from the welder shortage as trained skilled workers swaps jobs to higher paying competition down the road. To this end, ResourceMFG (www.resourcemfg.com) and Welder Testing, Inc. (WTI) formed a partnership to help manufacturing companies get the skilled employees, including welders. The partnership was developed to offer job-specific training to welders that enable the welder to upgrade their skills and qualify for open positions with manufacturers in the Houston area. Client specific training programs are also made available as an option for companies who need welders trained in their processes and specific welding procedures.

"This partnership combines ResourceMFG's expertise in recruiting and WTI's expertise in qualifying and training welders. This will offer manufacturers another option when it comes to hiring qualified welders," notes Drew Rathburn of ResourceMFG. Manufacturers provide a qualified weld procedure and candidates apply, interview and weld test for multiple opportunities, all in one stop. Clients do not spend their time and resources on continually testing applicants at their facility. This option has received a great response from small and mid-sized companies who are too busy to commit the time, space and resources necessary for in-house recruiting.