Skilled Workforce Development Program
The
Reshoring Initiative believes that skilled workforce is the key to reshoring
and manufacturing growth in general. We believe that the key to skilled
workforce development is motivating a higher quantity and quality of recruits. We
recommend the high impact-minimal cost skilled workforce development programs
outlined below and are seeking communities interested in implementing these
programs.
1. Perception that training is not as important as degrees: Here is evidence that you
can make a difference. Initiative President, Harry Moser, was invited to the
Department of Labor (DOL) on 9/18/12 to recommend to DOL how to prepare the
skilled manufacturing workforce needed to support reshoring. He started by
telling DOL that they were part of the problem because their website was biased
towards education at the expense of training. He showed a Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) website that shows the relationship between income and degree
level and that was headed “Education Pays.”
He recommended that the title be changed to “Education and Training Pay”
and that the income of workers that have passed an apprenticeship or have a
strong portfolio of NIMS, MSSC or AWS certificates be shown along with the
degree holders. DOL immediately accepted the need to revise the site. They eliminated the “selling” of education from
the heading and added text about “apprenticeships and other on-the-job
training.” They have started a survey to collect the data on apprenticeship
graduates. By making available to
guidance counselors and school administrators data showing that there are other
ways to win we will attract higher caliber recruits.
2. Perception of ongoing manufacturing decline: Belief that there is
no future in manufacturing, that all the work will go offshore, is a major
image issue to overcome:
a. Promote the success of reshoring to
improve the attractiveness of manufacturing careers.
b. Recruit NAM (National Association of
Manufacturing) and local groups like NTMA, PMA, EDOs, MEPs, AME and the
community colleges to gather local reshoring cases. Publish in local media as the regional “Reshoring
Cases of the Month.” and submit nationally.
Reshoring Initiative’s online Case reporting feature is available for this
process.
c. Reshoring needs recruiting. Recruiting
needs reshoring to be visibly succeeding.
d. Benefit: Motivates students to select,
guidance counselors to recommend and schools to provide skills training.
3. Perception
of low prestige and income: Belief that vocations/trades training is lower
status than a 4-year university degree, which is “the only route to middle
income careers.”
a. Terminate the use of the terms “vocation” and
“trades.”
b. Refer to the skilled occupations as professions
and the workers as professionals as is done in Germany and Switzerland.
c. Requires the cooperation of K-12 educational
system, community colleges, media, employers, EDOs, etc.
d. Skilled manufacturing technologists, especially
those that have passed an apprenticeship, are extremely well trained, work in
their area of training and earn an income at least comparable to university
graduates. Sounds like a profession!
e. Benefit: Increases attractiveness of skills
training and careers.
We would
be delighted to help make your region the model for the rest of the country.
Harry C. Moser
Founder and President
Reshoring Initiative
Office +01 847 726 2975
web: http://www.reshorenow.org
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