The need for advanced skilled workers in the manufacturing industry is at an all-time high. With baby boomers beginning to retire, a new era of skilled workers will need to be trained and developed in order to run a plant smoothly and successfully. Since 2007, nearly 2.4 million manufacturers have been laid off. However, despite the fact that these trade workers are looking to fill the 600,000 job openings, manufacturers are looking...
Far too often, our opinions of “the best way to educate/train” are limited to our own experiences — those we grew accustomed to during our own public school and college educations — sometimes, long ago. Unfortunately, when one is confined in their thinking to “what worked for me,” they close their mental doors to the exciting promise of evolving educational and training technologies. They also become blind to the emerging new learning...
With the national unemployment rate reaching around 9% it may seem hard to understand why so many job postings have gone unfilled. But in the manufacturing industry, it’s actually not such a hard concept to grasp. The reason being, most job opening are left unfilled due to the lack of technical and industrial skills. And as the gap between what’s available and what is needed widens, the necessity for a workforce that...
A few months ago I was invited to review several E-Learning courses marketed by a Midwestern training vendor. This particular vendor has a large number of offerings targeted at many industries. And, their catalog describes their solutions as “skills training.” As we shall soon see, that catalog description could not be further from the truth! What I saw astonished me. It was like traveling backwards in a time capsule. Looking at those...
Across America, many manufacturers are taking the necessary steps to assure their business will succeed in the coming generations. Last week we discussed the benefits of Lean Manufacturing, however this is not the only way to steer plants towards increased productivity through practice improvement. In early October, the American Small Manufacturers Coalition outlined steps that manufacturers can take to stay ahead of the curve in the “2011 Next Generation Manufacturing Study.” The...
Whatever training periodicals you read today (either online or in print), all signs appear to point to E-Learning as the training medium of choice. But have you taken the time to thoroughly examine the positives and negatives of E-Learning, as it is practiced today. It seems that the more you learn about E-Learning, the less simple it becomes. Sure, it’s available 24×7 from almost anywhere. And, it’s extremely cost effective. But, just...
We place so much emphasis on finding the right courseware for our employees — and, we should. But, I would suggest that it is nearly as important to partner with the right courseware supplier. Why? Because you will discover that the support you receive will be critical in determining the continuing success of your training initiatives. This blog is going to deal with what I consider the ideal courseware vendor. And, yes,...
Lean manufacturing is a fast growing trend in manufacturing production processes. The idea is to consider the expenditures of resources that produce any product and determine how a plant’s practices can be trimmed down to preserve value while eliminating unnecessary work. How this is achieved varies on the specific business and its employees. Ultimately the goal for every business is to increase efficiency, decrease waste and use practical methods to reach a...
E-Learning has had the unfortunate result of taking the rich history of skills training backward! Learning has suffered just as this nation has entered its biggest need for highly skilled employees! E-Learning has derailed the wonderfully effective continuum of the videotape, interactive laser videodisc and CD-ROM successes. The buyers of technology training solutions have changed. And, in many instances, that has not been a good thing for learning outcomes. Up until the...
On Friday, President Obama signed off on the first three free trade agreements of his administration with South Korea, Colombia and Panama. These agreements will most likely be the first and last made during his current term. The deals have the potential to be worth billions of dollars to American exporters and could create tens of thousands of jobs, including thousands of jobs in the manufacturing industry. The three deals took years...
Industry surveys show that 86% of Americans agree manufacturing is important to their standard of living. 79% are reported saying, a strong manufacturing base should be a top national priority. While many say that if they could create 1,000 jobs in their community, manufacturing would be at the top of their list, only 33% said they could encourage their children to pursue a career in manufacturing. Americans seem to understand the importance...
Ever newer technology is changing the way we live in so many ways. We all sense these rapidly increasing changes and we all profit from it in ways unimagined mere decades ago. Automation and instrumentation control of processes has taken over many of our industries. Social media, tablet computers and smart phones are just a few examples of the inroads made by technology into our daily lives. My emphasis, however, continues to...
Experts say that nearly 25% of the 11 million manufacturing workers in the U.S are 55 years of age or older. Just as in any industry, experience brings about the most knowledge. The longer you are in a particular trade the more you learn, whether it is through training, hands on application or trial and error. This group of approximately 2.7 million middle aged workers are a valuable asset to every manufacturing...
The evolution of new learning technology adaptation has always been delayed by the do-it-yourselfers. I first saw it with the introduction of videotape training in the 1970s. “Just give an amateur employee a camera and he, too, can create a meaningful training experience.” Wrong !!! In the 1980s, the same misguided conclusions were reached when the CBT and CD-ROM technologies first appeared. Only Interactive Laser Videodisc (IVD) training skipped the intrusion of...