Page 91 - MetalForming October 2016

“We established a training program that comprises 10,000 hours of learning. At the end of the program, apprentices become journeyman tool and die makers and are provided certificates of completion from the Department of Labor. This recruiting tool attracts a lot of talent to WTW.”
career options. I also have given pre- sentations to local business leaders and graduating classes, and have host- ed open houses to provide students, parents, instructors and guidance counselors an opportunity to view world-class manufacturing and help recruit our future employees.
Train—While challenging, training is critical to maintaining a consistent flow of skilled labor. No matter what size the company, a robust, certified training program is essential, not only for consistency but for attracting new applicants. The fundamental push for today’s graduating high-school students is to head straight for college. This may be appropriate for some, but not for all.
In 2011, WTW established a U.S. Department of Labor-certified appren- ticeship-training program for tool and die making. With TMA’s help, we estab- lished a training program that com- prises 10,000 hr. of learning. At the end of the program, apprentices become journeyman tool and die makers and are provided with certificates of com- pletion from the Department of Labor. This recruiting tool attracts a lot of tal- enttoWTW.
Let’s Turn the Tide
Look around your plant and analyze your workforce. I bet you’ll observe that 40 to 50 percent of your highly skilled labor force is part of the baby- boom generation, projected to retire in the next 4 to 7 years. If we don’t look ahead and address this threat to our industry, we are doomed. We must edu- cate the marketplace on the opportu- nities that careers in manufacturing can provide to the next generation entering the workforce.
Manufacturing is alive and well, but a crisis looms. My advice: Visit with high schools and local colleges, and sell manufacturing. Open your plants to students, parents, teachers and guid- ance counselors, and educate them on what manufacturing is all about.
Let’s turn the tide and tell the market who we are and what we do, rather than allowing the market to tell us what
they think we are!
MF
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