Finding Skilled Workers

I just read your notes [Editor’s Notes, January 2013, p. 6] in the most recent Package Printing magazine. I have similar issues as most managers in our industry—finding highly skilled workers has become increasingly difficult.

I have found that companies that will invest the time and money into an apprenticeship type program, to be very rare. Europe, as you know, has apprenticeship’s in almost every skilled area of the workforce. It works well in Europe for many reasons, and job opportunities are limited for those not going on to college. So the offer of an apprenticeship with its longer term benefits is huge to many kids and their families.