​Business representatives at the U.S. Department of Education’s regional summit on community colleges on Wednesday emphasized what two-year colleges have heard many times: the jobs are there, but companies need workers who have problem-solving skills.

Even industries facing tough times—such as the paper and pulp industry—are struggling to find skilled employees. But despite the economy, forest products still comprise a huge industry, accounting for about 5 percent of the total manufacturing gross domestic product, according to the American Forest and Paper Association. The industry employs nearly 900,000 people, which is more than the number of employees in the automotive, chemical and plastics industries.

Even though technology and a shift in supply has prompted a reduction in the U.S. workforce in some parts of the country, retiring baby boomers and technology advancements have paper companies seeking new skilled workers. They are even paying for training programs and willing to provide training equipment.

Like other industries eyeing the future workforce pipeline, the paper industry wants employees with strong math and writing skills and the ability to use data to make decisions, said  TJ Murphy, executive director of the National Network for Pulp and Paper Technology Training. The network is a National Science Foundation-funded alliance of community colleges, universities industry partners.

As paper companies expand their global markets, computer and language skills are also becoming more important, Murphy added.

Chester Vrocher, director of workforce development at paper companyBoise Inc., noted that when he started in the industry 30 years ago, workers were told to just work the equipment and “not to think.” Today, paper companies want workers who can develop solutions to unexpected problems.

“We want folks who can analyze the data and come to the right decision,” Vrocher said. “Come up with the answer that is not in the book.”

Working at the relationship

The same problem-solving skills were emphasized by representatives from the energy and chemical industries on a business and industry panel at the summit, which was held at the Lone Star Community College District in Houston. John Mallett, project manager for the Talent Pipeline Process at Entergy Corp.'s fossil operations division, said his company’s greatest challenge is getting job applicants to pass aptitude tests. Simply put, most applicants don’t pass it, which is affecting other aspects of the company, such as maintaining a diverse workforce.

Entergy has created a good training process with its partnering energy companies and community colleges in Louisiana. It has succeeded, in part, because the partners bring the right people to the table, and the colleges are not shy about asking for help, such as getting more training equipment, Mallett said.

Forging such partnerships is hard work, noted Vrocher. He said too often industry-college collaborations are like first dates: Parties are cordial when the meet, but there is little chemistry and then both go on their own way. The successful partnerships are like marriages: they can be cantankerous at times but both sides are committed to work through problems, even if it means making concessions.

Boise, which started working with community colleges in 1995 and offers scholarships and internships, will soon begin revamping its curriculum in order for workers to keep up with innovations in the industry. It will be a tough process, Vrocher said.

“We’ll throw out what we need to,” he said. “But we won’t throw away the partnership.”

The department’s next regional summit will be March 23 at Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana.