One of the major problems at the local chapter of the International Union of Operating… One of the major problems at the local chapter of the International Union of Operating Engineers is having too many jobs but not enough people to fill them, said Bill Cagney, the organization’s business manager.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton listened attentively to Cagney’s concerns, responded with an emphatic nod and said that America does not encourage enough people to go into vocational trades. She plans to change that.

At the panel discussion held at the IBEW Hall on the South Side yesterday, Clinton focused on “in-sourcing” new jobs and renewing the popularity of trades that are lagging behind their necessary levels.

“We hear so much about out-sourcing,” Clinton said. “It’s when we lose jobs to other countries, and I want to put an end to that.”

Clinton sat with local business and environmental leaders for two panel discussions followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience, finishing a three-day tour of Pennsylvania at the 21st Century Job Summit.

Members of the 200-person audience at the private event expressed the difficulty and expense of hiring electrical technicians and automotive workers because of their decreasing numbers and asked the senator what she planned to do about it.

“We need more support for the business and academic community to make sure students get mentoring and internship experience that will persuade people to go into businesses like [vocational trades],” she said.

“One thing I want to do certainly as president is raise visibility and respect for this entire field because we are missing out.”

The first woman to ask a question after the panel was a practicing nurse. She asked the senator what she planned to do to fill schools with future nurses.

Clinton, who is endorsed by the American Nurses Association, said she wanted the federal government to support a nurse-training program and “put it on the fast track.”

She also stressed again the importance of the profession, saying that because nurses have such a close and vital relationship with patients, their high need affects everyone.

On the panel was John Manzetti, president and CEO of Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, which Clinton toured yesterday morning. Clinton told Manzetti that she saw students from Europe and Asia there, and she wants to make sure those students aren’t forced to take their talents elsewhere after graduation because of immigration laws or other potential problems.

“We educate people in our country from other countries but because we can’t figure out how we’re going to keep them here.