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2031 Jackson Street Fort Myers, FL 33901
Career Pathways
Manufacturing
Why consider manufacturing?

Manufacturing is the process of using raw materials to add value and create a new product. The manufacturing industry itself covers many other industries, including durable goods (aircraft, automobiles, chemicals, tools, electronics, furniture) and nondurable goods (food and beverage, clothing, pharmaceuticals). Manufacturing companies and jobs are often thought of as high labor and working with machines, but they involve a wide range of jobs, including administrative/office workers, engineers, sales and marketing, supervisors/managers, welders, accountants, designers, researchers, truck drivers, and more. In Southwest Florida, the top jobs in the manufacturing industry are miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators, first-line supervisors, sales representatives, cabinet makers/bench carpenters, welder/cutters, laborers and freight/stock movers, machinists, general managers, inspectors/testers, and packers. The industry is expected to grow 3.3% between 2021-2022 and by 9% between 2021-2025. By 2030, the manufacturing industry is expected to grow 15.5% is Southwest Florida.

Jobs in Manufacturing
  • Assemblers and Fabricators: $35,701
    • 2020-2025 6% projected growth
    • High school diploma
  • First-Line Supervisors of production & operating workers: $54,214
    • 2020-2025 11% projected growth
    • High school diploma
  • Sales Representatives, Wholesale & Manufacturing: $67,288
    • 2020-2025 12% projected growth
    • High School diploma
  • Cabinetmakers & Bench Carpenters: $35,109
    • 2020-2025 0% projected growth
    • High school diploma
  • Welders/Cutters/Brazers/Solderers: $38,071
    • 2020-2025 13% projected growth
    • High school diploma
  • Laborers & Freight, stock, material movers: $26,763
    • 2020-2025 9% projected growth
    • No formal education
  • Machinists: $44,367
    • 2020-2025 19% projected growth
    • High school diploma
  • General & Operations Managers: $76,306
    • 2020-2025 10% projected growth
    • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Inspectors/Testers: $41,120
    • 2020-2025 4% projected growth
    • High school diploma
  • Packers and Packagers: $23,208
    • 2020-2025 -2% projected growth
    • No formal education
  • Machinery Mechanics: $49,857
    • 2020-2025 15% projected growth
    • High school diploma
  • Industrial Engineers: $87,735
    • 2020-2025 20% projected growth
    • Bachelor’s degree
  • Maintenance & Repair workers: $36,715
    • 2020-2025 7% projected growth
    • High school diploma
  • Molders/shapers/casters: $32,942
    • 2020-2025 -2% projected growth
    • High school diploma
  • Office Clerks: $32,997
    • 2020-2025 5% projected growth
    • High school diploma
  • Industrial Engineering Technologists: $49,177
    • 2020-2025 33% projected growth
    • Associate Degree
  • Top occupations in manufacturing for SWFL were assemblers/fabricators, first line supervisors of production and operating workers, cabinet makers/bench carpenters, and welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers.
Manufacturing Employment wage information
  • Annual Employment Demand: +4.3%
  • Average Wage Per Worker:
    • $70,736 SWFL
    • $80,982 Florida
    • $87,788 US

In 2020, there were 12,381 manufacturing jobs in SWFL, 69% below the national average. From 2020-2021, there was a 4.3% increase in demand, which was significantly higher than the 0.8% national change. The average wage in 2020 was $17,052 lower than the national average at $70,736. Hendry had the highest average wage at $91,700, and Charlotte the lowest at $59,293. Between 2021-2025, job demand is expected to increase 9%, from 12,914 jobs in 2021 to 14,073 in 2025. Hendry is expecting a -10% change, and Glades a 17% change.

skills & sectors

Core Job Skills

  • Operation and Control
  • Critical Thinking
  • Monitoring
  • Quality Control
  • Mechanical
  • Software/Technology
  • Maintenance
  • Production/Processing
  • Repairing

Local Sectors in Manufacturing

  • Cleaning Products
  • Construction Materials/Supplies
  • Custom Machines/Components
  • Food & health Products
  • Machine Cutting Tools
  • Medical
  • Motorcycles
  • Printing & t-Shirts
  • Shipping Materials
  • Software
Where to get educated
Education & training
  • Cape Coral Technical College capecoraltech.edu
  • Fort Myers Technical College fortmyerstech.edu
    • Fort Myers Technical College offers manufacturing programs related to biomedical equipment repair technology, electronic technology, major appliance and refrigeration technician, mechatronics technology, and welding technology. Each program takes 11-14 months to complete and costs $4,262-$6,892.
  • Immokalee Technical College – Center for Manufacturing Excellence http://www.itech.edu/cme/
    • The Immokalee Technical College offers a new facility to teach knowledge and skills through the Center for Manufacturing Excellence to lead a successful career in manufacturing. They offer National Institute for Metalworking Skills – Machining Level 1, Mastercam – Mill Design and Toolpaths certifications. The programs they offer include machining, mechatronics, CNC operations, and advanced machining and manufacturing.
      • Machining Technology: A 1500 hour (1.5 year) program focused on preparing students for a precision machinist career. Tech skills such as operating machine tools according to blueprint specifications and demonstrating strong skills and knowledge.
    • Lorenzo Walker Technical College https://www.lwtc.edu/
      • The Lorenzo Walker Technical College offers a Welding Technology program, aimed to train in weld. The welder program is 1050 hours (11 months) and costs approximately $5,722.
Where to work
top regional employers
  • Arthrex
  • B&I Contractors
  • Chicos FAS
  • Storm Smart Companies
  • Saminco, Inc.
  • Nor-Tech Hi Performance Boats
  • Design Concepts/Marine Concepts
Employers by sector
manufacturing RESOURCES
SRMA
BLS Sectors 31, 32, 33
Florida Makes
Industries at a glance
CareerSource of SWFL
ONET Online
National Association of Manufacturers
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