Willie Harris operates a 500-ton stamping press Sept. 24 inside General Sheet Metal Works in South Bend. SBT Photo ROBERT FRANKLIN
SOUTH BEND — As Tasha Webster filled out an application at a local manufacturing plant, she listened to the staff cold-calling people listed on CareerBuilder.com and other online sites.
“I thought, ‘These people don’t even want this job, but I have two great qualifications to put me in a position here,’ ” the 26-year-old South Bend resident said in an August interview. She had recently completed the SMART (Supporting Manufacturers and Regional Talent) program, a work force training initiative at Ivy Tech Community College, which certified her as a production technician through the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council.
She also really wanted to work third shift, the time slot the company needed to fill.
But she didn’t get the job. She was told the company wanted someone with more experience.
“It’s discouraging,” she said.
Job seekers like Webster are frustrated with their inability to land jobs, while employers say they have jobs they are desperate to fill. This is especially true in manufacturing, still a regional stronghold, though other industries like health care and retail also cite difficulties.
Daman Products Co. in Mishawaka is growing and needs skilled workers. The company, which designs and manufactures hydraulic valve manifolds, recently bought about $2.5 million worth of equipment to be delivered in January and plans to add 45 people to its 135-person work force by the end of 2015.
Everyone has a different definition for skilled workers, said Larry Davis, president of the company. He explained that Daman Products’ employees don’t just load parts into a machine. They order materials, wash product and take care of packaging and shipping. They also coordinate their schedules with other people who work in their cell.
“They have a tremendous amount of responsibility and autonomy to do their work,” he said. “That’s the kind of skill we find woefully lacking in the work force.”
And the work force is aging, he said, which makes finding skilled labor more urgent.
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