Where Has All of the Training Gone?
Many manufacturers, such as such as Connecticut Spring & Stamping, are being forced to replace formerly state-funded training with their own tailored programs to help attract and retain skilled employees. But they still want the states to provide these educational services so they can focus on what they do best. Which way to go?
Posted: July 9, 2013
The apprenticeship program is based on completion of a set of work standards, including orientation, lathe, milling (horizontal and vertical) machine operations, grinding operations, sawing and cut off operations, drill machine operations, metal processing, bench assembly, trade specialty, and the related training at a technical school facility.
In the past, apprentices got this related training at trade schools, for example the nearby EC Goodwin Technical School, attending about 4 hours per week during working hours as part of the required program. Each apprentice was graded on their knowledge and placed in a program dependent upon their skill level. They would be given credit towards the related training hours for skills they already had.
Today, the OJT and related training requirements remain the same, but the technical schools no longer offer appropriate manufacturing schooling alternatives. Rather than being placed in programs to match their skill level and given credit for skills they have, apprentices are forced to take full semester courses during the evening. For example, CSS has two apprentices who are close to completing the state apprenticeship process and have been very frustrated with the 500 hour schooling component, which has become a barrier to certification.
They have nowhere to go to take the specific classes they need. Instead they have to take time off from work and take a group of courses, not all of which are relevant. “The apprentices we have on the state program are really having difficulty getting the class time they need while working full time,” says Bob Allen, director of engineering, tooling and metal form. “The programs seem to be more focused on college aptitudes than manufacturing skills.”
He adds that CSS has approached vocational high schools to see if they were interested in running courses and found their emphasis to be firmly on the side of training nurses, electricians and carpenters. “They have told us that there are not enough people for them to offer these courses, but we know that the jobs are there. With an aging workforce we need the next generation of skilled manufacturing employees to keep us ready and staffed for whatever the future holds for CSS.”
Under the direction of a qualified training instructor and using the same guidelines established by the state apprenticeship program, apprentices are trained in tasks assigned to each competency (basic, intermediate, and advanced) for each position. According to Kathy Bellemare, the structured and formal program gives the apprentices a defined career path.
After successfully completing each competency, the apprentice receives an increase in compensation. There is no timeline associated with each competency, and each apprentice learns at his or her own pace. “We have our own certificates and clear manager-defined functions, techniques, and skills for each position, with which apprentices must be proficient.”
The expectation is that workers will complete the program and get to competency level in about 3000 hours. Required training is handled by crediting apprentices for what they already know, identifying any weaknesses, and providing the related training in an extremely focused way.
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