Ohio is shaking off its rust-belt reputation thanks to a surging tech sector.
Intel鈥檚 chief this summer renamed central Ohio the Electric vehicle production in the Mahoning Valley has some people calling it
But these new industries are running into a growing problem 鈥� finding enough workers willing to stay in Ohio.
A recent job fair at Youngstown State University showcased the strain on local manufacturers, companies large and small, trying to fill positions.
Their lament, across industries, is the same.
鈥淲e need engineers, assemblers, wire installers," said Mark Rogenski of IES Systems. "It鈥檚 just very difficult to find people.鈥�
Nathan Quicksall of W.E. Quicksall & Associates in New Philadelphia felt the same way.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to hire two young people and a project manager," he said.
鈥淚f I could come out of this job fair with five solid employees, that would be wonderful,鈥� said Debbie Neiferd, human resources manager for parts maker Altronic in Girard.
But she knows it鈥檚 a long shot.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very difficult to find employees now,鈥� she said.
How to sell a job
Neiferd worked to sell a young prospect, sophomore electrical engineering major Paul Sundy, on the benefits of working for a smaller company.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very comfortable, relaxed workplace where you can be yourself,鈥� said Neiferd.
But for Sundy, like a lot of Ohioans before him, that probably won't be enough to keep him in the region.
鈥淚鈥檇 love to go down South. Carolinas possibly,鈥� said Sundy. "Or wherever the money is.鈥�
The challenge of attracting and keeping workers is hamstringing Ohio鈥檚 economy, most economists agree.
, manufacturers in Northeast Ohio alone are short by around 10,000 workers.
Nowhere is the problem more acute than the Mahoning Valley.
Generations of population loss
, manager of workforce development for the Youngstown Chamber of Commerce, said the region suffers from the 鈥榞enerational trauma鈥� of plant closings in the 1970鈥檚 that cost 40,000 steel workers their jobs.
鈥淎 lot of us that live here, and love living here, we have been told, 鈥榞o away, go away to college, get out of this area, there are no jobs here,鈥欌�� she said.
It's a trend that repeated itself just three years ago when 4,200 GM workers were let go in Lordstown, near Youngstown.
Youngstown鈥檚 population is half what it was a generation ago, creating a labor vacuum for the new, high-tech industries that have since set-up shop.
Foxconn is now running three electric vehicle production lines in the former Chevy Cruze factory.
Next door, Ultium Cells, a partnership of General Motors and LG Chem, has built the nation鈥檚 largest electric vehicle battery plant.
Maiorano said they are desperate for workers.
Her major selling point is location.
鈥淥ur biggest advantage is that we are halfway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh,鈥� said Maiorano.
Jennifer Oddo, executive director of , said that message may not be enough to stem the talent drain.
鈥淲e've been losing 7.5 people per day for the last 50 years here in the region,鈥� she said.
Ohio, she said, needs to do more to shake off its rust-belt legacy.
鈥淲ith Intel coming in, with Foxconn looking for workers, we have to cast a much wider net to get people coming back to this region, and back to the state,鈥� said Oddo.
Training workers for the new economy
That鈥檚 why Youngstown State and Foxconn in October announced the launch of an at the Taiwanese tech-giant鈥檚 sprawling Lordstown facility.
鈥淟et's create a hub that becomes the standard center for the entire industry,鈥� said Oddo.
The challenge of attracting and keeping workers is hamstringing Ohio鈥檚 economy.
In the meantime, she's ramping up efforts to get local people trained in the basics of modern manufacturing.
Her program teaches basic reading, math and computer skills to get workers with a high school education up to speed.
The demand for workers is so high, Oddo is dipping into the local prison population.
鈥淲e have 50 inmates going through our online training programs right now,鈥� she said.
Back at the YSU job fair, Jennifer Cogar, a recruiter with Ultium Cells, which just opened the first of 10 battery production lines, was on the lookout.
Ultium last year said the company .
Cogar said they鈥檙e still several hundred short, especially in the skilled trades.
鈥淢aintenance, electricians, HVAC鈥檚 鈥� we鈥檝e had a little bit of trouble,鈥� said Cogar.
But for young people thinking about a future in the Mahoning Valley, she has a very different message than a generation ago.
鈥淭he opportunities for careers are endless here,鈥� she said. It's something that hasn鈥檛 been heard in Youngstown for a very long time.
