WORKFORCE PIPELINE A MONTHLY FEATURE ABOUT TRAINING, EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT w Workforce Development: Investing to Foster an Agile Ecosystem W
orkforce development is one of the most wide- reaching education challenges that exist today for both businesses and individuals alike. The profes-
sional and fi nancial future of people, the growth of industry, and the health of the global economy all depend, in part, on the successful education, training and development of the workforce.
A popular term in business today is “agile,” which is one
lens through which to view workforce development. That said, there is much debate as to what it truly means for a company to be agile as it relates to workforce development. The view of Alcoa Foundation is agility is achieved when a company has a system in place to easily fi nd and/or develop exceptional talent so that both individuals and therefore the larger organization have a competitive advantage; not just for current needs but with an eye to the future. When it comes to manufacturing, the increasing pace of technology innovations and newly discovered opportunities
means that agility is more important than ever. Companies that want to compete at a world-class level in advanced manufacturing need to invest in workforce development and develop a thoughtful approach regarding how investing in people is investing in the business—in short, workforce development creates workforce agility. Without it, companies will one day realize their facilities are full of workers that are unprepared for the jobs of the future and that their competi- tors are attracting and growing the best talent.
An Ecosystem Approach Investing in workforce development should not be done in a vacuum but rather with an eye toward the entire relevant ecosystem. Business and community leaders, employees and other key stakeholders should all be engaged and asked to share their voice and perspective on how to best prepare for the future. A common challenge that organizations face, including Alcoa Inc. and Alcoa Foundation, is a lack of exist- ing networks or coordination between different groups. Organizations including SME Education Foundation, Hope Street Group, Institute of Inter- national Education and The Manu- facturing Institute are fi nding ways to create collaboration opportunities and integrate the concerns and needs of various stakeholders. Alcoa Foundation’s partnership with SME Education Foundation illustrates how the idea of foster- ing an agile workforce development ecosystem can be brought to life. The organizations have partnered to bring SME’s Partnership Response In
February 2016 |
AdvancedManufacturing.org 109
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116