Mark C. Tomlinson, CMfgE, EMCP Executive Director/CEO
Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) www.sme.org
Falling Off the Cliff Isn’t an Option FOCUS ON THE
WorkForce W
e are hearing in the daily news about the impend- ing fiscal cliff. All of us know this problem needs to be solved quickly if we are going to stay on the path of economic growth. If not resolved, all the good work that has been accomplished around workforce development in 2012 will take a backseat to real economic and financial worries, which will ultimately affect our manufacturing vitality. I am hopeful that a solution will occur soon and manufacturing’s workforce gap will be the focus once again. In SME’s white paper “Workforce Imperative: A Manufac-
turing Education Strategy,” released in September 2012, we identified the current problem of companies struggling to find a trained, skilled workforce (visit www.sme.org/workforceimper- ative for more information). SME believes this is also an oppor- tunity for an individual who has the desire and means to obtain the appropriate skills to enter the manufacturing workforce. Let’s take a look at the problem and review what has been accomplished. The challenge has three aspects: Future work- force or pipeline development; the training of those available to work today if the right skills are obtained; and our returning
tion of six high schools that met the criteria and then expand- ed to an additional nine for the 2012—13 academic school year. Having had the opportunity to meet the young people involved in these programs, which engage the community college network and local industry, SME believes PRIME is a best-practice model available for pipeline development that gives our youth multiple paths into industry. The schools en- gaged in the program are from diverse economic and cultural communities, and involve both young men and women in the program. The biggest challenge we have is funding additional programs and providing the appropriate staff support to rap- idly expand the program. One example of the program’s suc- cess is the Jackson Area Career Center (Jackson, MI), which was named one of the exemplary schools by the Foundation for its 2013 PRIME program. The Jackson Area Career Center is a technical educa-
tion hub for more than 1200 students from more than 15 different area high schools who are currently enrolled in the center’s 30 different programs—more than 30% of all juniors and seniors in Jackson. Students who chose to attend the
The pipeline for our future manufacturing workforce is a continual challenge that SME and its Education Foundation are working diligently to address.
veterans who require both evaluation of their current skills and the appropriate supplemental training, thus allowing them to reenter the workforce after serving our country. The pipeline for our future manufacturing workforce is a continual challenge that SME and the SME Education Foun- dation (SME-EF) are working diligently to address through:
PRIME Schools
PRIME stands for Partnership Response in Manufactur- ing Education. This program began in 2011 with the recogni-
Career Center do so at no cost to them or the local school district. The focus of the Career Center is to allow students a seamless, cost-free elective in their local school schedule in which to explore opportunities for their future and get a jump-start on college credits. At the Career Center, community employers and partner- ships are important to their operation and technical education programs. Each program utilizes the services of advisory com- mittee members (more than 200 in all) to assist in keeping curriculum current with industry standards. Job placement