The Work force Question: Quality and Quantity

Despite the Plastics Cluster's excellent growth and competitiveness, local work force availability presents challenges to its future health. Local plastics firms cannot procure the quality and quantity of labor skills they require. At all levels, employers are unable to find enough skilled workers and are forced to hire less qualified workers. Local businesses feel that the region's high school graduates have inadequate basic skills qualifications for entry level jobs in plastics manufacturing (e.g. math, drafting, work ethic, computer literacy) and that regional community colleges are not producing enough talent in technical plastics programs to meet industry demand. At the university level, there is low interest in the plastics industry among graduates. Instead, most highly qualified managers and senior engineers are successfully recruited to the Detroit automotive industry.

The local plastics cluster consequently faces a twofold work force challenge: (1) to tailor education programs to industry requirements, (2) to better position career opportunities in the industry. In order to hire the kind of employees desired, local plastic firms need to provide adequate information to high school, vocational education and college programs to assist them in shaping their curriculum. At the same time, the industry needs to aggressively publicize to young students at both the high school and college levels the attractive career paths offered in plastics manufacturing. Local business leaders feel that the plastics industry is not viewed as attractive to high school age students because it is not considered a "high-technology career." The industry needs to correct this image by disseminating information about the many technology-intensive careers in plastics.

Business Climate: Level the Playing Field

As local plastics firms have been coordinating plant expansion in the region, many report that they have encountered obstacles in the local business climate. The current system makes it difficult for established companies to grow because of regulatory complexity crossing local government jurisdictions. They claim they need a larger regional system for managing plant expansion, rather than city or county processes. Other local regulations also impinge on the expansion ability of local plastics firms. A level playing field is required so that existing companies receive the same treatment on land purchases and financing as incoming firms. This treatment should also not favor larger companies over smaller firms.

Beyond regulations, local plastics firms have also voiced concerns over high business costs. Plastics manufacturing is characteristically energy intensive, and executives find local electricity costs higher than neighboring states such as Indiana. Local business leaders would like to explore opportunities to work as a group, or with other industries, to negotiate alternative power contracts.