With Honeywell's Phoenix location recently moving manufacturing jobs to the Czech Republic and Boeing announcing lower than expected 4th quarter returns, engineering opportunities are diminishing.
However, there are some bright spots for the engineering outlook.
After hiring 1,300 employees in 2008, General Dynamics offered a job fair in Arizona to potential employees last month. The government contracted division in Scottsdale specializes in communications systems.
Rich Skelnik, Director of Talent Acquisition, estimated his company would offer between 20-25 jobs that day. By 12 p.m., 180 people had applied, and by day's end, that number was up to 600.
There's clearly a demand for job opportunities at General Dynamics among Valley engineers. Skelnik expects General Dynamics will host another job fair after this summer.
Over at ASU East’s polytechnic campus in Mesa, Dr. Scott Danielson and his students are working in state-of-the art labs to be ready for the demands of industry. By designing vehicles, crushing objects, and machining parts, students in the department of Engineering Technology are working towards becoming skilled professionals.
The school keeps up with trends of the industry by having an active industrial board that discusses, for a full day, the student’s curriculum. Dr. Danielson said the timely feedback is beneficial to ensure their students can meet industry needs.
Dr. Danielson said the students are not learning how to operate machines, but becoming designers ready to engineer with multiple applications.
