City of Factory Love: Philly Plans a High School with Manufacturing Focus

Filed under: Careers, Job Market, Education, This Built America

In 2013, 92 percent of the Philadelphia high school seniors in a career or technical program graduated. For those who weren't in such programs, the results were far worse: a 65 percent graduation rate. Meanwhile, manufacturers in the city have long complained that they can't find workers trained in the skills they need.

"It's very hard for us to find skilled welders," Brent Ford, human resources manager for PTR Baler & Compactor told Philadelphia City Paper. "We go through hundreds of résumés for every single one we hire."

The city expects to help change that in 2015 by opening the Center for Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing at Benjamin Franklin High School. The school will teach in eight areas, all planned at the needs of local industry, such as maintaining electronic equipment and repairing solar gear. All the fields are new, except for welding, which is offered in four other schools.

The Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, in Scnecksville, Pennsylvania, inspired Philadelphia, which needs to hire qualified teachers and possibly recent engineering graduates.

 

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