Chris Kaiser President and CEO BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc. Hoffman Estates, IL
www.bigkaiser.com
FOCUS ON THE WorkForce You’re Hired—Apprenticeships Can Reinvigorate Workforce I
t may seem that no stone has been left unturned in the ongo- ing push to bridge the skills gap in American manufacturing. As an industry, manufacturing has devoted concerted efforts towards countering misconceptions, building inroads with technical colleges and general recruitment. And while there have been high-value, public victories in changing these perceptions, the fact remains that manufacturing jobs remain unfilled while thousands of Americans, lacking the correct set of skills, are seeking work.
By comparison, Switzerland has the most competitive econ- omy in the world according to the World Economic Forum, due in part to the success of its manufacturing industry. A big reason
each year. These trainees learn to master each machine in the Rümlang, Switzerland boring tool factory. For those who aren’t looking to work on the machines, opportunities are available to work off the floor in the production office and R&D department. With the extensive hands-on work, apprentices leave the program with a highly specialized and marketable skill set.
In Switzerland, young people attend basic school and high school, then secure an apprenticeship before going to college. Most apprentices are 14 or 15 years of age when they start. The KAISER program aims to accompany and augment, not replace, high school and college-level education.
The apprenticeship program at KAISER in Switzerland cultivates tailor-made employees ... Could the model work stateside, as it did decades ago?
for its industrial prowess: a surplus of skilled workers, thanks to highly developed apprenticeship programs. Nearly 66% of Swiss young adults choose to attend vocational school, making it the most common form of post-compulsory education or training. And unlike manufacturers in the United States, more than half of all Swiss shops train employees through rigorous ap- prenticeship programs that incorporate classroom learning and hands-on training, applying the “reap what you sow” mentality. Apprenticeship programs allow manufacturers to assess poten- tial employees for an extended period of time, and the invest- ment pays off. By the end of a two-year span, apprentices are able to work almost independently, and manufacturers are left with a highly skilled workforce trained to their exact standards.
The KAISER Approach The KAISER Precision Tooling apprenticeship program is active in Switzerland, admitting two or three new apprentices
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ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | March 2014 Schooling does not halt when the apprenticeship begins,
however. The first two years of the apprenticeship consist of two days at school and three days of shop work. For the fol- lowing two years, apprentices attend one day of classes and spend two nights each week learning supplementary skills from external seminars.
Finding the Right Talent When looking for potential apprentices, Toni Schüpbach,
Head of Training, KAISER, attends high school fairs to speak with students about careers in manufacturing. Interested stu- dents are encouraged to apply. Schüpbach then conducts a cultural and educational background check, looking at report cards and test scores.
If Schüpbach finds someone who might be a good fit, he brings them into the shop for two to three days to see how they work and how they interact with their peers. KAISER
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