Made in U.S.A.
Manufacturers turn to the military for trainable workers as aging baby boomers leave behind hundreds of thousands of high-paying jobs.
By Matthew Pavelek

Two recessions over the past decade took a toll on manufacturers in the U.S., resulting in downsizing, layoffs and the outsourcing of jobs overseas. Lately, however, manufacturers in the U.S. have been reversing the trend and are looking for talented American workers. The best part for service members transitioning out of the military: The skills ingrained during military service are just what these companies are looking for in new hires.

ArcelorMittal is the world’s largest steel company with about 18,000 employees in the U.S. and 285,000 worldwide. Lu Ann Uremovich, director of human resources for ArcelorMittal USA, oversees all human resources activities for the firm’s U.S. operations, including recruitment.

“As the world’s leading steel company and largest integrated steel producer in the U.S., ArcelorMittal aims to attract and hire workers with technical, teamwork and leadership skills,” Uremovich said. “We find military veterans have many of the skills and attributes that we are seeking and that ensure a successful, fulfilling career at our company.”       

Manufacturers add 289,000 jobs
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the manufacturing industry has added 289,000 jobs to the economy since December 2009, despite the stubbornly high unemployment rates that have hovered around 9 percent for months. In fact, in July alone the industry added 24,000 jobs.

An aging work force nearing retirement is contributing to the gains. Nearly 2.7 million manufacturing workers are 55 or older. Many of these folks are the most experienced and skilled workers with decades of on-the-job knowledge – making their replacement tougher since many potential replacements lack the necessary technical skills and experience.

What does this mean for veterans?
Top-of-the-line training is one of the greatest benefits of military service. The U.S. Department of Defense pays top dollar and employs the best and brightest to train the men and women serving in the military to perform the vital function of defending our nation’s freedoms. The expensive and hard-to-teach skills gained through service are valuable selling points to civilian employers looking for recruits. This is especially true in the industrial products and services industry.

Outsourcing Maintenance
Outsourcing maintenance work has become a recent trend for manufacturers. Advanced Technical Services (ATS) is a leading supplier of outsourced factory maintenance for FORTUNE® 500 companies.

“Our mission is to make factories run better and we provide full-time, on-site maintenance support on the production equipment for our customers,” said Holly Mosack, director of military recruiting. “Essentially, we are their production maintenance department. Our customers’ core competency is producing their product, not maintenance, so we add tremendous value by being experts in maintaining their machines, thus increasing their production schedules.”       

Industry growth = more jobs for vets
ATS also provides IT services and industrial repair parts services – all focused around the factory environment. Instead of paying a full-time staff, manufacturers save money by calling on firms like ATS to provide the help only when they need it.

“We are anticipating doubling in size over the next four years so the outlook is great,” Mosack said, adding that ATS is aggressively seeking veterans to hire during that growth phase.

“As a veteran myself, I know how talented service members are. They bring a level of dedication and a can-do attitude that is hard to find in the civilian sector. They understand mission accomplishment and have leadership skills that you can’t find elsewhere. I find that veterans can pick up the technical skills easily.”

Good Match for a Marine
Frank Gill left the U.S. Marine Corps in 2006 and went back to a construction job he had before he joined the military. After about a year, Gill, 27, said he needed a career that challenged him and let him work with his hands. But without a college degree, it was difficult.

“So, I started to search the Internet and found G.I. Jobs and applied for numerous jobs that interested me,” Gill said. “Within three months of searching I had a few call-backs but at the time it was not what I wanted – either the money wasn’t right, location was off, or it just wasn’t an interesting job. Then I got a call from ATS, and when he informed me of what the job entailed, it really intrigued me.”       

Right at home
Gill said he was nervous when he went to the interview since he’d never really had a job interview before.

“After saying hello and shaking hands, the interviewer said ‘Semper Fi’ and right then a huge weight lifted off my shoulders,” Gill said. “We talked about our time in the service, what unit we were with, the friends we gained, the friends we lost, and stories about our first sergeant, because every Marine has one of those. After the conversation with a fellow Marine, I knew that ATS was the place for me.”

Now Gill works for ATS as a fuel systems technician and gets to use both his hands and his mind, earns the salary he wants and has great benefits as well. Gill’s story is not unique at ATS. In fact, nearly 25 percent of the company’s employees are military veterans.

“For me, this job is completely different from what I was used to,” Gill said. “I worked construction ever since I was old enough to lift a shovel. Although the money was good, it was not the lifestyle I wanted to live. With ATS, I have found myself excelling. I believe an essential quality in this industry is enjoying taking things apart to see how they work. Each day I learn something new and it is never the same.”       

Navy skills, values transfer well
Uremovich said ArcelorMittal is recruiting candidates for both supervisory and technical roles. “Currently, we are actively seeking skilled workers for the position of Maintenance Technician-Electrical (MTE),” she said.

MTE workers require moderate-to-extensive knowledge in computers and programmable logic controller (PLC), analog and digital electronics, power supplies and distribution, hydraulics and transmissions, and various equipment operation.

Randall Moore, a Navy vet who left active duty in 2002, now works as a MTE for ArcelorMittal. Moore, 33, said the average person doesn’t understand what it’s really like working in a steel mill.

“Working for ArcelorMittal is the same as working for the U.S. Navy because safety is the number one priority,” Moore said. “The Navy’s always committed to bringing its Sailors home in one piece, just like ArcelorMittal. These values are consistent along with the qualities needed for military veterans to work and succeed in the steel industry.”

Moore said the work is similar as well.

“The MTE position requires similar data system and electrician skills that I obtained and grew during my U.S. Navy service,” he said. “The electrical theory and work is the same at both ArcelorMittal and the Navy. The main difference is now that I work for ArcelorMittal I can easily leave work and go home every day to see my family.”

Moore said the intangible skills he learned in the military are what really make him good at his job.

“I excel as an MTE at ArcelorMittal because of the discipline I learned in the Navy, along with the two years of technical training,” Moore said. “I would recommend this job to other veterans because the training offers a seamless transition from military to civilian life. I love my co-workers; they make my job seem like something other than work. It is never a dull moment and the experienced workers always bestow valuable wisdom upon me.”

Thousands of new jobs!
Johnson Controls is a global diversified company whose 154,000 employees create quality products, services and solutions to optimize energy and operational efficiencies of buildings; lead-acid automotive batteries and advanced batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles; and interior systems for automobiles. Ray Cuttino, lead recruiter and military recruitment specialist at Johnson Controls, said the firm has forecasted plans to hire thousands of new employees by 2016. It’s Cuttino’s job to find hard-working and dedicated people leaving the military to fill many of those jobs.

“Military veterans bring a level of leadership experience that is very valuable to Johnson Controls,” said Cuttino, a retired Army veteran. “We bring a strong work ethic, identifiable, transferable skills, proven in real world situations. We understand the importance of staying with the task until the job is done. We know how to evaluate situations and prioritize issues.”

Energized at Johnson Controls
Bob Underwood spent 25 years flying aircraft for the U.S Marine Corps, retiring in 2010. He now serves as business development manager, working to land business for Johnson Controls with the U.S. Navy. He said he sought a civilian career with Johnson Controls because energy is a growing field and building efficiency is an industry that will continue to be a priority and require innovation.

“Energy is very interesting and engaging. I am never bored,” Underwood said. “I regularly come into contact with very smart folks who are passionate for what they are involved with and truly desire to make a difference. I greatly enjoy learning from them and being part of a team to develop projects and solutions that will enable our customers to get to their desired destination.”

These companies will train you
What if you were in the infantry and don’t have the electrical skills necessary to qualify as a technician? Many companies understand that not every veteran will have directly translatable skills. But the discipline and tenacity that made you good at serving in the military also make you trainable.

“Most veterans leaving the service do not have the exact skills we’re looking for because they have never worked on factory equipment,” ATS’ Mosack said. “However, they are able to take their skills that they learned in the military and easily transfer those skills to our business. They work well on teams, think outside of the box, make things happen and instead of complaining, they find the solutions. They don’t like to fail and they take pride in all they do.”

In fact, ATS instituted a formal Multi-Skilled Technical Career program, a 40-week program designed to take new hires with little experience and develop them into a skilled maintenance technician.

Cuttino said Johnson Controls operates a full-time educational institute where thousands of employees each year enhance their job skills and grow personally.

Uremovich said employee education is ongoing at ArcelorMittal.

“In partnership with the United Steelworkers, we offer extensive safety training and specific on-the-job training as employees progress within their role,” she said. “Currently, we are conducting training in World Class Equipment Reliability (WCER) at all U.S. facilities. These education opportunities give employees a variety of ways to develop their skill set in areas relevant to their position. ArcelorMittal also provides opportunities to employees to receive company support in post-secondary education and training endeavors.”

Don’t sell your military experience short
Underwood offered some advice for those leaving the military and seeking a rewarding civilian career: Don’t sell yourself short!

“Most people in this country could not make it through boot camp, let alone finish a career,” Underwood said. “You are much in demand, the key is finding out what you enjoy doing and look for opportunities in the civilian sector that will allow you to do that. Be proactive, find out who is in charge and ask for a meeting. If you are sincere and can adequately communicate your value, you will have more opportunities to choose from than you can handle.”

Jobs
The company is recruiting candidates for both supervisory and technical roles. Currently, ArcelorMittal is actively seeking skilled workers for the position of Maintenance Technician-Electrical (MTE). MTE workers require moderate to extensive knowledge in the areas of computers and programmable logic controller (PLC), analog and digital electronics, power supplies and distribution, hydraulics and transmissions, and various equipment operation.

Pay
Average Starting Salary: $23.83 per hour for Maintenance Technician-Electrical (MTE) positions

Jobs
There are numerous opportunities depending on the veteran’s skills and location preferences. A veteran could start out as a maintenance technician and stay in that field their entire career, or move into management where they can utilize the leadership skills they learned in the military. Additionally, a veteran could be hired directly as a supervisor or manager or in a completely different field, such as:

• IT professional
• Diesel technician
• Calibration technician
• Electronics repair technician
  

Pay
Average Starting Salary: $40,000/per year

Johnson Controls
www.gijobs.com/jc

Jobs
This is just a sampling of the variety of jobs available in the U.S. on the Johnson Controls website:

• IT analyst
• Calibration technician
• Production supervisors
• Project engineer
• Systems designer
• Purchasing supplier coordinator

Pay
Average Starting Salary: There are a number of variables that go into determining an individual’s compensation with Johnson Controls.

Vets can get reimbursed for training, certification
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services’ (VA DVS) recently endorsed certification and training programs offered by the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC), which will make it possible for veterans to get reimbursed for certification testing costs. This decision by the Virginia agency is applicable to vets in all 50 states.

The recent recognition of MSSC’s credentialing system by the VA DVS will put vets into advanced manufacturing and supply chain logistics career pathways. Many employers in this field are looking for veterans specifically because of their security clearances.

MSSC has more than 220 certified assessment centers with 500 authorized instructors located in community colleges in 33 states. While vets can take the MSSC certification exams without prior training, most individuals benefit from MSSC-authorized courses. Returning veterans can use their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits toward these training costs. While a traditional education can take months or years, MSSC’s courses can take only a matter of weeks if vets choose full-time, intensive training.

The nationwide MSSC system, based upon industry-defined and federally endorsed standards, offers both entry-level and incumbent workers the opportunity to demonstrate that they have acquired the skills increasingly needed in the high-growth, technology-intensive jobs of the 21st century. MSSC offers the Certified Production Technician (CPT) and Certified Logistics Technician (CLT) certifications.