ACTE's Industry Connect Blog

Sign, Graphics and Visual Communication Industries Offer Great Careers

By Alison Kent, International Sign Association

The skills gap affects many areas of industry, from wide-ranging fields such as STEM and manufacturing to specific subfields within those areas like the sign, graphics and visual communications industries. Yet these industries offer solid career choices for entry level applicants, with clear possibilities for growth.

As noted in the infographic above, 68 percent of sign manufacturers are hiring in the coming year, and 63 percent say that attracting skilled workers is the number one issue impacting business. Career and technical education classes provide students the skills they need to succeed in the sign, graphics and visual communications industries. Their coursework can lead them into amazing careers. According to the International Sign Association’s Wage & Benefit Survey, in 2016 the expected average pay increase in these industries was 4.8% for hourly employees, 4.6% for salaried employees, and 5.0% for management. In addition, many of today’s sign, graphics and visual communication company leaders began their careers in skilled positions—proving the advancement possibilities within these industries.

The International Sign Association offers digital badges in partnership with NOCTI. These badges provide students the opportunity to strengthen their resumes, earn college credit hours and become more qualified for positions in the sign industry.  The badges cover fifteen different fields that relate to the sign, graphics and visual communications industries, including CAD, construction, electrical occupations, mechanical drafting & design, and welding.

For more information about the opportunities that are available in the sign, graphics and visual communications industries, visit www.signs.org/careers.  

The Association of Woodworking & Furnishing Suppliers (AWFS) Discusses Efforts to Address the Skills Gap

This is the first post within our Industry Connect Blog, by Nancy Fister from the Association of Woodworking & Furnishing Suppliers (AWFS)

Q: What would you like the CTE Community to know about your industry, company, or area?

A: We would like to ensure that everyone has an accurate understanding of the upsides of modern/advanced manufacturing!  Good careers and competitive wages are available in a whole host of positions. Manufacturing has moved beyond the outdated image of dark and dirty factory floor jobs with no opportunity for advancement. Manufacturing requires skills, problem solving, technical knowledge and more.  

Q: What does the employment picture in your field look like over the next few years?

A: The wood products industry is definitely an aging sector with significant numbers of boomers retiring. Like many other sectors, CNC (computer numerically controlled) operator and machine technician are very popular occupations. There are also many people employed in areas related to design and engineering, software expertise, sales and marketing, and plant operations, as well as specialty areas such as finishing. Boomers are retiring from all of these areas.

Q: What challenges have you faced in your efforts to hire and train new employees?

A: We often hear from our member companies that they are desperate to find new hires that have good soft skills—reliability, good teamwork and communication skills, etc. Many companies are willing to train if they feel that a newly hired employee is likely to stay with their company for a significant period of time, which will make their investment worthwhile.

Q: How has your organization worked with educational institutions to shrink the skills gap in your industry? 

A: Some of our enterprising member companies have created their own internship programs. One example is North Carolina’s Blum Hardware and their Apprenticeship 2000 program. Others have looked to schools in their areas with related coursework to attract new workers. We have a number of member companies who are sponsors of SkillsUSA competitions as well. However, many companies in our industry are small- to mid-sized and they are hard pressed to find the time or money for extensive marketing campaigns that would allow them to grow their workforce. 

Q: Are there any strategies you would like to employ to shrink the skills gap that you have not been able to so far?

A: We would like to make people more aware of the realities of contemporary industry—perhaps through more externships promoted and facilitated by school districts, which might include participation from career counselors as well as teachers. We want parents to understand that today’s manufacturing offers stability and career growth for their children, and we would like to encourage all school personnel to make this point in their interactions with parents.

Read ACTE’s Advancing Manufacturing Sector Sheet to learn more, and check back next week for another blog from one of our Business and Industry Partners!