Funding for this progra was provided by a grant from BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and also by CNX resources.

With additional support from these generous funders.

Thank you.

[Music Plays] From a region built on steel to a whole new economy, it's almost like a phoenix, you know, coming up out of the ashes.

We have a lot of eyes on Pittsburgh, and there's a lot happening here, a lot happening, and a lot to celebrate.

But amid all the accolades, there's cause for concern.

We're looking to be about 80,000 workers short.

80,000 workers by the year 2025.

So the push and the planning are on to change things.

If we don't have people here to fill these jobs, we can't grow as a region.

We have to also show how we have the ability to produce future graduates that are aligning with where the demands are.

In this half hour, we'll take a look at the unprecedented collaboration underway to close the workforce gap and learn about some of the jobs in high demand, from new occupations to the evolution of traditional trades, we found a common theme technology, technology.

Technology is becoming more and more important in just about every field.

These are great paying jobs, skilled jobs.

Try tech jobs that could set yourself up for success into the future.

So what are some of these cutting edge occupations?

What kind of training is needed and what else do students need to know?

Find out.

As we take a closer look at technology and are changing workforce.

[Music Plays] It's a story that Pittsburgh region loves to tell.

From troubled times to transformation.

We went from steel to science and from mills to medicine, technology and so much more.

Hard to imagine all these years later were facing a problem of a different kind.

Thousands of jobs that could go unfilled.

We are one of the oldest areas in the country.

We have a lot of baby boomers retiring.

Alison Trustor is the director of talent and business engagement for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

The conference works to improve the overall economy and quality of life in the ten county region.

My role within that is really to make sure that we have the talent and workforce that we need to be able to continue to move forward and to these days, you might say she has her work cut out for her thanks to Inflection Point, a report released by the conference ahead of 2017 to address the region's economy and its workforce needs, among its main messages.

We need to make sure that people have the skills that they need to contribute to a 21st century workforce.

Along with having the sheer number of people to do so, and right now, there's a projected shortage.

Over a ten year period, 290,000 baby boomers are expected to retire from the workforce in our region.

Top of that, an additiona 50,000 new jobs will be created.

That leaves us with a need of 340,000 new employees, but only 260,000 are expected in the pipeline.

So if we do nothing, ther will be a gap of 80,000 workers.

The good news is, lots of people in our region are working to make sure that doesn't happen.

I think that this region has a lot to offer in terms of interconnectivity.

We also had focus groups wit about 125 CEOs and HR directors, and countless conversations with business, academic, community and government leaders.

A variety of initiatives are now underway to help entice more graduates with four year degrees to stay in our region.

And there are also lots of opportunities for students pursuing certificates and two year degrees as a result.

Local schools, especially community colleges, are changing their curriculum.

That was really a catalyst for companies and schools to start saying, how do we work together to make sure we're building the workforce that we need for the future?

A workforce where health care occupations remain in demand, but the need is grea and lots of other areas as well.

And these days the talk of the town is technology.

I feel optimistic where where we're at on the curve of technology, the innovation going on with technology, bring a technology into manufacturing, into production.

Think we're at the very beginning of the next significant change.

David Pistner is the vice president of workforce development at the Westmoreland County Community College.

So these are proudly shows off the school's Advanced Technology Center in Mount Pleasant.

The state of the art training facility is located at the site of the old Volkswagen and Sony plans.

It's not lost on anyone here that it's in these factories of the past, that students are now training for jobs of the future.

Working with a roundtabl of leaders from local companies.

The center's revamped many of its programs.

There's a ratio for every engineer.

You need 5 to 6 skilled technicians.

Beginning with the skilled trades, Autumn Rodericks of Delmont became interested in welding as a younger girl.

I interested in it by doing my dog's cage.

Me and my dad had to fix it so she wouldn't get out.

Ryan Gemmell of Marion, Center, was inspired by his love of racing.

I wanted to come here and get a degree in welding so I could take that to a like a NASCAR shop or factory or something and do some fabricating.

But they're quickly learning it's not their father's welding anymore.

That's what's great about welding.

Anything you can think of.

I mean you can start your own business.

Easy enough out of your garage if you wanted to.

Every major manufacturer has welders.

It's at its home positio now.

Not like you have up there.

The same thing.

There's a lot of students that do welding where they every day their uniform is a lab coat, you know, because they're dealing with nuclear power or something like that.

Here.

There's, you know, welders out there making easy 8000 thousand dollars a year, going home every day.

It depends what you want to do.

So if you go to this side.

Dale Glessner is a professor of welding and engineering.

We have your basic welding skills for somebody who's never started.

Never doesn't have a clue what they're doing.

Day one, we break off into individual processes so they can get, you know, full semester of every process there is.

They can hone their skills, followed by classes and meta fabrication blueprints, learning the structures of materials, inspections and more.

And now there's another big area of study to add to the list robotic welding.

So the robotic welders are more your heavy manufacturing your your caterpillar, your GE.

Somebody who's making a lot of repetitive parts, as you always hear, the robots are going to take our job from everybody that I talked to throughout industry says for every robot we have usually have to hire two more welders just to keep up with it.

The goal now is to expose as many students as possible to robotic welding.

So they're going to learn the the programing the machine, you know, the different parameters for just the welding processes itself.

You know, you know, the size of your your weld to speed how how fast needs to go get laid down.

Dale says lots of local companies are already using those trained on robotic welders, but have had to go outside of the area to find them.

This is so new, really, we don't have a lot of people that are trained for that.

So that's what we're shooting for, is to kind of let people come here and get trained up on it.

And, you know, we have the the local people for that.

And what do you know about the opportunities in this field for women?

There's a lot they're in high demand and there's not many women that want to do it.

Welding is a career that you can take pretty much anywhere you want with it.

It's always going to be in demand.

[Music Plays] I was always interested in robotics since I was probably in middle school.

Now, D'Angelo Cain of Greensburg has a plan for his future.

He's studying robotic and advanced manufacturing here, with the goal of moving on to earn a four year degree in engineering.

How do you think your experience here is preparing you for that?

Well I get to see another side of it.

More on the technician side because there's both sides and engineers have to work with technicians to really make the the whole system function.

And it's nice having views on both sides of it.

Nowadays we use equipment to do more things and less labor.

So the needs for on the technology and have changed drastically on that too.

And employers are telling colleges and training centers exactly what they need.

We need people that better understand the integration of robotics within a production setting, troubleshooting of robots or robotics, pieces of equipment, and then also doing the coding.

I was trained as a machinist, and I wanted to learn some of the more maintenance techniques to move into the machining maintenance field.

And you're going to have to use the peach pendant.

Charlie Hallman of Bethel Park believes it's the wave of the future.

Eventually all it's going to be left is man solving the problems when machines break down.

And that's what this program is.

It's about fixing the machines that are book and that are currently breaking down.

We are starting to get more computer controlled systems with the machining, as well as with overall process control that will return it to home is can.

Adams, of Latrobe, is changin the focus of his career as well.

Originally from Washington, D.C., he worked as a quality control inspector at a medical equipment manufacturing company.

So I see these machines all the time, and I just had, like, an epiphany.

Like, wait a minute, I don't want to be on this side of it.

I'd rather be on that side of it.

Being as though that the world is becoming more automated, I believe that industry is going to push towards people who can work on design and programing things to automate.

In this program, we don't just deal with the robot arms or the end of ARM tools.

We study hydraulics, pneumatic electrical components, electrical circuits, electrical theory.

We place people, a lot of local companies working in automation, doing industrial things like making plastics, plastics, factories that people go to, chemical factories.

We've had people go to US steel to work.

And taking things even further, the Advanced Technology Center is partnering with robotic research schools, including CMU, Pitt and MIT to build an even stronger workforce, even offering some classes online.

We're sharing our curriculum, our robotics curriculum with them, and likewise their sharing curriculum with us.

And we are packaging robotics to bring it into communities or maybe underserved, underrepresented within the economic or the economy of the region.

Obviously, Carnegie Mellon is a global leader in AI and robotics and machine learning, but they're partnering with a community college, recognizing that they need talent at various levels, from an associate's through a PhD, to really make sure that this workforce is prepared and that they have people to meet.

All the different roles, from robotics to manufacturing.

Traditional manufacturing is subtractive.

You take a block of steel, metal, titanium, whatever you're working with, and you subtract the material.

Things have changed in this area to because I like working with materials like metal and such.

So basically it's.

But for Alex Wheeler of Greensburg and other students, it's no longer about using a manual mill.

It's all about programing CNC or computer numerical control systems to create the material with like on the computer with G codes and codes.

G codes are basically like the toolpath, and empath is basically your coolan on cooling off if you like math.

This is a great spot for you, but perhaps the greatest change in manufacturing is in the area of additive manufacturing or 3D printing.

As the job market goes, it's huge.

I'm pretty much taking care of the machines, keeping them clean.

Understanding how they run, how to set the machines up.

Every day is a busy day.

For 3D printing specialist Alex Kohut and Director of Technology and Innovation Kyle Metsger.

There's a digital side, a production side and a maintenance side of it.

The two were among the very first employees of 3D.

Buck Helfferich founded the company back in 2018.

The industry is just broad enough that it's going to be in everything products, prints, 3D parts and volume for a variety of industries and customers, including the Department of Defense.

We can make military parts, metal parts and plastic parts so we can make part for different types of industry, and we can embed electronics into the parts as we're manufacturing them.

So we're going to be combining two different technologies into one with this company.

This is bigger than any industry change I've ever seen in my life.

Being a lot of gears, electrical contacts, heat exchangers, you can print multiple parts at once.

And there's a cost reduction in multiple materials.

Tron 3D not only works i plastics, but in metals as well.

On a day we visit, we get a demonstration of one of its newest machines.

It is called an LMF technology.

Laser metal fusion.

We have interest for very small, intricate metal parts out of both stainless and pure nickel.

In this test run, the crew will print some sample gears no matter what the item.

It starts with powder and a powerful laser.

Each alloy has unique set of process parameters, and each process parameter is developed for laser beam intensity.

The drift and travel scan speed.

And it's with amazing speed that this 3D printing industry is expected to grow.

We'll be hiring on a rapid basis.

70% of the jobs that are going to be needed for additive are going to come from a two year degree.

We're looking for somebody that has the ability to have some experience in computer aided design and a two year degree.

It introduces them enough to that that we can take their experience from that point and get them associated and learn in this technology and go from there.

I got into a machine shop when I was 19, working part time.

Finally came through and I was able to land a job here.

I think it's really a big part of the future, so I wanted to get on it now.

That's a big point of pride for Buck, Alex Kyle and the company's accountant, Nicole Gabrielli.

I keep track of all the purchase orders and the money aspect of all of the orders.

Have attended Westmoreland County Community College at some point during their education, as did Buck more than 30 years ago.

I have a two year degree that was my first degree from WCC and it's in electronics.

Today, his company has a unique partnership with the school.

In fact, it's offices and production space are located inside the Advanced Technology Center.

Westmoreland next fall is going to launch an associate degree in additive manufacturing so that we are going to be producing students that design for additive.

This relationship is based on the fact that two year degree programs are going to be pushing most of the jobs that are going to be able to be created and needed in this industry.

So we are helping with the curriculum.

We're also helping with guiding them o what machines and things to buy.

And also we get a great collaborative back and forth.

As far as technology goes.

You're looking at a plate which demonstrates and as Kyle shows us the results of the test run, each of these are your part printed are the parts are in 316 stainless steel.

He couldn't be more excited about the potential of 3D printing.

It is a very fun field.

It's exciting.

There are new opportunities and new uses of this technology every day.

[Music Plays] Technology is transforming just about every aspect of transportation as well, including how cars are repaired and maintained.

So technology is constantly changing and evolving.

You got to go through a lot more programing and nothing on the car uses AC voltage, so it's wasted energy.

Bob Koch is an automotive instructor and the head of occupational technologies at the Community College of Allegheny County.

This semester, his students at the West Hills Center are studying electrical systems, and it's clear lots of things have changed.

We don't have all the overhaul procedures that we used to do.

We don't overhaul carburetors.

We don't overhaul starters.

Students need a lot more theoretical knowledge.

How does this thing work?

Because primarily what we do today is we diagnose what's wron and we replace those components, which means a computer is one of their most valuable tools.

As all of the systems on today's cars are connected, everything needs to talk to each other.

Computer helps us a lot more because it can show more detail of how the car works and what's wrong with the problems.

So you can use computer to read anything.

Basically, break down the whole system of the car and basically tell you what's wrong.

It may sound easy, but it's not, and neither is filling all of the available openings.

The industry as a whole has come out countrywide and said there's going to be a shortage of technicians.

And so car companies sponsor students and special paid training programs, where they split their time between school and working at a dealership garage.

All of Bob's students, including Grace recall and Destiny Ballou, are sponsored by Ford.

Her schedule is yet to be three months in the dealership, and then your three months in school, and then you keep switching for two years just to get that experience and practice your skills that you're learning here in the classroom.

I'm hoping to become a maybe a senior master pack.

And what does that mean?

It means that I've got like all the certifications and whenever they come out with like, new tests for us to take, I have to go and take those just to stay certified.

They graduate with an associate degree, assuming they complete all the training requirements.

They also have manufacturer certification, which goes with them anywhere across the country that they decide to move to, which is great for students like Roberto Broadway, who thinks the opportunities will only continue to grow.

They got electric cars, hybrids, stuff like that.

The experts say he's right and you can add to the list self-driving cars.

There's a lot of policy that has to change for autonomous vehicles to really become mainstream, but most agree it's only a matter of time and the Pittsburgh region will be right on the forefront.

Five autonomous vehicle companies are located here, creating a demand for technicians that will likely be even greater.

When we look at the where the industry is going and we say to the student, are you prepared to fix those types of vehicles?

So our advanced electronics course starts to look at a lot of that sensing technology.

I think vehicle to vehicle communication is kind of going to be the next step before we get to its vehicles.

So we need to just get our students prepared to understand how does the communication networks that are on vehicles actually work?

Okay, we've got cars speak probably five, six, seven, eight different languages.

How do all of those computer type languages work on an automobile?

They're not going t re-engineer it, but they need to know how it works so that they can diagnose it and then replace the right parts if it in fact does fail.

I've been in the cars since I was a little.

[Music Plays] In many ways.

Hunter Matti is now preparing for his dream job.

So are Bill Murray and the others here, while at the same time waiting to see what the future and even more advanced technology will bring.

So I want to build on to how I work with this.

I feel like it's definitely going to change the game.

I started realizing that this is what I actually love to do.

Gavin Heinrichs of Bethel Park has a passion of a different kind.

I love the idea of, you know, how intricate computer technology gets.

He's studying cybersecurity at the Community College of Allegheny County's South Campus and thinks globally when discussing its importance.

It's bigger than it was just a couple years ago, and it's going to get bigger continuously.

Warfare is going to start being fought honestly in the cyber realm, you know, with the security of infrastructure and, you know, all of our important financial data and medical records and weapons on electronic storage units.

You know, that's sensitive now.

And it's very important to keep that protected.

So it just has a very large growth outlook, and it's going to become very important over the next few decades, with the potential for good paying jobs and the immediate future.

Information technology is a growing field of study because more and more companies are embracing technology with the extension, of course, in the cybersecurity, because so much is occurring in the cyber world.

This is one of the programs that we know there's a need.

It's an area that we wanted to build and strengthen our existing program with.

Doctor Quentin Bullock is the president of cSAC.

The school recently announce plans to build a new $40 million workforce development and training center on its North Shore campus.

Among its offerings will be added manufacturing robotics process technology, including an intense focus on cybersecurity.

The school is already working to revamp its curriculum to meet changing workforce demands.

We also wanted to ensure that we put greater emphasis on networking and operations.

You have to make sure that the intruders stay out and hackers never take a day off.

It may.

Melissa Kennaway is a long time professor at cSAC.

Are you surprised at how things have evolved and changed and really changed so rapidly?

It is totally unbelievable.

For students like Kaylee O'Hare of money, it's a great starting point.

I hope to work with businesses to help protect their data and keep them safe from online intruders, hackers, everything.

I was getting my feet wet, but with web development, my path I believe is going to be to work with startups.

So everything starting from the base level and working our way up to build systems initially correctly.

I plan on getting my degree plan to go to a four year college for my bachelor's, and one day I hopefully work for the federal government.

So you don't even need maybe more than a two year or four year degree with just some certification.

So really, you could walk out of here with a two year degree and where could you end up working?

You could work.

You could start working for a business and then some of them will pay.

Have you go back to get more certifications if they want you to.

You could work for some government agencies and they'll do similar things, or they'll certify you along the way throughout your career.

But Gavin two plans on pursuing a four year degree, and it turns out that continuing education for employees already in the workforce is vitally important to our region's economy.

There's lots of talk these days about something known as upskilling, or skills workers must build upon on the job.

So part of what companies are doing to is partnering with schools to say, ca you upskill my current workforce with some of these technology skills so that they can continue to, to grow without having to leave and come back to the workforce with a new set of skills.

A lot of schools are also responding with certificate programs.

So Pitt now has a cybersecurity certificate recognizing people aren't going to leave to g get a master's in cybersecurity, but that that skill is in high demand.

Schools are also emphasizing what's known as soft skills in their classes, which include things like adaptability, communication skills, and more.

Teamwork exercises, critical thinking, analytical skills, and allowing the students to really get that first hand experience that closely aligns with real work life experiences, which has been a win win.

So will we ensure victory or at least make great strides in building a 21st century workforce in our region?

Alison Terrestre is optimistic, and she's not alone.

I say that because we have a lot of potential to grow.

I think that there's this whole wave of new opportunities, particularly with technology skills being an important piece of that for students to have less than a four year degree, but still have entry into these very high demand, cutting edge type of companies and roles.

Everybody offers tax incentive, everybody offers land.

But to me what differentiates one area for from another is your workforce, the talent of your workforce, not only today but the pipeline of talent into the future.

And I'm very proud, very optimistic of what we have to offer here.

I think Pittsburgh has a lot to offer what's happening with our R&D and our universities, and also just the influx of companies that are coming here.

So I think it's importan that we keep that momentum going so that we continue to be an attractive place for talent.

[Music Plays]