Chapter 1 Careers in Industrial Maintenance 5 1.2 EDUCATION Education in industrial maintenance and mechatronics comes in many forms: on-the-job training, manufacturer seminars and online training, self-teaching, and classes at a local technical school or college. Technical schools tend to be more focused on a particular skill set for a specifi c occupation. While community colleges teach specifi c skills, those skills can be more widely applied (and this is how many employers view them). T E C H T I P Educational Goals Plan your education by setting your completion goal and determining the steps to achieve it. As you begin completing courses, allow for the possi- bility of discovering a specifi c area to excel in and alter goals accordingly. Deloitte analysis based on data from US Bureau of Labor Statistics and Gallup Survey Figure 1-2. The retirement of manufacturing workers and economic growth is projected to create 3.4 million new jobs over a 10-year period. A shortage of skilled candi- dates is projected to leave 2 million of these jobs unfi lled. By completing a certifi cate or degree program, these jobs and many others will be available to you. New Manufacturing Jobs, 2015–2025 1 million 2 million 3 million 4 million 2.7 million jobs created by retiring workers 3.4 million new manufacturing jobs 1.4 million jobs expected to be filled 2 million unfilled jobs 700,000 jobs created by growth 1.2.1 Technical Schools Th ere are several private technical schools that are quite popular for automotive, welding, HVAC, and a few other areas. Relatively few technical schools off er pro- grams in industrial maintenance and mechatronics. When compared with community colleges, techni- cal schools often off er a more focused curriculum and programs that can be completed in a shorter amount of time. Technical schools can be more expensive, and cred- its earned may not be transferable to other institutions. T E C H T I P Do Your Research Do some research before selecting a school or program. Always seek out opinions of gradu- ated students from the program you are about to follow. 1.2.2 Community Colleges Community colleges have four major educational functions: ■ Act as transfer schools for students who plan to attend a four-year school. In this way, a student may take required general education classes closer to home and with less expense, usually for the fi rst two years of school. ■ Accomplish adult-education functions not available at a four-year school. Th is is a wide net that covers GED preparation, ESL (English as a second language), remedial mathematics, community education classes, and more. ■ Provide the surrounding community with skilled workers with technical skills not typically taught at four-year institutions. ■ Off er workforce education to employers in their districts for specifi c outcomes. Figure 1-3 provides general information on typical community college programs and outcomes. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.