With examples all around of companies struggling with work- force development issues, even if a manufacturer is not feeling the pain currently, taking ownership of training and development programs today will reduce risk by staying ahead of the pending worker shortage, leading to continued competitiveness.
2. Strengthening of partnerships with local academic institutions
High schools, community colleges and vocational schools are playing a pivotal role in workforce development. In many communities throughout the US, these academic institutions have formed partnerships with local manufacturers to address the skilled talent gap.
Take Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend, IN. Part of the nation’s largest community college system, Ivy Tech is setting the standard for establishing a steady pipeline of qualified machinists ready to hit the shop floor. Ivy Tech’s Machine Tool Institute simulates a real-world machine shop, where students
of all ages and backgrounds punch in and out, learning both the hard and soft skills needed to succeed in the manufactur- ing world. In just two years, the program has issued nearly 300 NIMS certifications, aligned with Tooling U-SME online classes, and regularly places students in jobs in the local area with grads starting between $14 and $20 an hour. Another example is Hawthorne High School in California, recognized by the SME Education Foundation as a PRIME (Partners Response in Manufacturing Education) school. As part of the program, Hawthorne receives grants and schol- arships for future education, and has been connected by SME with local manufacturers. This partnership is producing an important pipeline of skilled workers for neighborhood companies, including Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Raytheon, Honeywell and SpaceX.
It is important to note that while economic development dollars are available to help fund these programs, there is no need to remake the wheel. By modeling programs on existing initiatives and tapping into SME’s experience, manufacturers can establish strong programs of their own, connecting with lo- cal academic institutions to create a pipeline of future workers.
3. Sophistication of training process
Over the years, the process of training has become much more sophisticated. Years ago, companies might check a box to indicate training had been completed. Today there are a lot more rules, regulations and documentation. For instance, think about the more stringent guidelines for ISO certification. Also, today it’s necessary to validate that knowledge has been transferred—not just that a class has been completed. Manufacturers want to know that an employee is able to apply the knowledge provided in the class. Another change is that organizations are looking at employees individually and building customized training programs specifically to fit their strengths and weaknesses. Training is no longer one size fits all. All of this is increasing the sophistication of the whole sys- tem and adding pressure on manufacturers to keep up. To address this, SME brought together a team of manu- facturing experts coupled with academics, to build Tooling U-SME’s Competency Framework, which helps manufacturers ensure employees are meeting the job requirements at the performance levels needed to meet business objectives. The Competency Framework builds out nine functional models, with over 60 job specific competency models. Using this tool, employers will be able to take the subjectivity out of employee evaluations and be able to build well-defined progression models for advancing entry-level workers through more senior-level workers.
Companies will also be able to benchmark their competen- cies across other manufacturing organizations, as there is now a standard body of knowledge and skills to take to the shop floor and apply to specific tasks that need to be accomplished. The sophistication of the process of creating a strong training program, training people and mapping training has come a long way. With pressures that manufacturers face meeting production and customer demands along with finding a talented workforce, it is more critical than ever to ensure a training program ties directly to business goals, ensuring a solid return on investment and sustained competitive advantage for years to come.
Jeannine Kunz is the managing director of workforce and education at SME, where she leads a team dedicated to the ongoing education of the manufacturing workforce. SME, a nonprofit organization, has served practitioners, companies, educators, government and communities across the manufacturing spectrum for more than 80 years.
January 2014 |
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