Entries categorized as ‘workforce development’
In today’s (March 2, 2010) Daily Executive Briefing from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, an article from the Financial Times is cited; stating specifically:
US Manufacturers Bracing For Skills Shortages.
Despite the fact that manufacturing industry has cut more than two million jobs last two years, the Financial Times (3/1, Weitzman) reported US manufacturers are struggling to find workers with needed skills. The skill shortage may limit manufacturers’ ability to boost output as the economic recovery accelerates. A wide range of manufacturers have voiced concerns over skilled workers reaching retirement age in the near future, and the dearth of younger employees standing ready to replace them.
Categories: Manufacturing · USA Manufacturing Sector · career awareness · workforce development
Advanced Technological Education Television (ATETV) could be a helpful resource for parents, career advisors, educators, students and career changers who want to learn more about careers in advanced technology. The ATETV website has a video series that “highlights success stories from community colleges and ATE programs nationwide.” The aim of ATETV is “to connect employers in industry and government with the high-tech workforce of tomorrow.”
Go check it out!
Categories: career awareness · education awareness · workforce development
Tagged: ATETV, career information videos, NSF
Addressing Misconceptions and Recruiting a Skilled Workforce
In July of 2007, Quinsigamond Community College was awarded a three-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for the Massachusetts Technician Education Collaborative (Mass-TEC) project, which brings together partners and existing resources from K-12 and undergraduate education, workforce development, industry leaders, and community-based outreach groups in an effort to respond to the region’s shortage of adequately skilled technicians in advanced manufacturing operations.
During the first year of the grant, Mass-TEC conducted three focus groups with teachers, parents, and career advisors in the Worcester area. One purpose of the focus groups was to identify impediments that limit or prevent these career influencers from guiding adults and students toward advanced manufacturing careers.
Among the most relevant findings of the focus groups included the following:
- All three target audiences (i.e., parents, teachers, and career advisors) acknowledged that manufacturing jobs are stereotyped as labor-intensive, sweaty, and dirty.
- Parents are concerned about the instability of jobs in manufacturing, and cite low pay and hard labor among the factors that hinder advocating for their children’s pursuit of such careers.
- There is a general concern that students and adult career changers lack the math and science skills for advanced manufacturing jobs.
- Career advisors acknowledged a limited understanding of advanced manufacturing and are open to collaborations and strategies that would increase their knowledge of available jobs and professional development opportunities for their clients.
To address these misconceptions and concerns, Mass-TEC project partners will begin an awareness campaign and hold outreach events with the target audiences. The outreach events and awareness campaign will include discussions with manufacturing employees, site tours, employer roundtable discussions, podcasts, e-newsletters, videos, presentations, and information regarding educational and career pathways.
In order for this initiative to be successful, Mass-TEC needs the support from Worcester-area advanced manufacturers. Mass-TEC is looking for employers who would be willing to support the project by doing any of the following:
- Participating in roundtable discussions with teachers and career advisors
- Suggesting employees who could fairly represent technician positions and could provide testimonials to Mass-TEC’s parent and teacher audiences; the parent audience is looking for testimonials from English-Spanish- and Vietnamese-speaking employees
- Allowing Mass-TEC to interview AM technicians
- Supplying video footage of advanced manufacturing facilities
- Allowing Mass-TEC to photograph and create video site tours of manufacturing facilities
- Working with Mass-TEC to produce videos and podcasts
- Providing site tours for parents, teachers, and career advisors
Among the expected outcomes of this initiative, Mass-TEC expects to see an increased enrollment in manufacturing-related technical education and training programs, as well as an increase in the pool of skilled technicians available to Worcester-area manufacturing companies.
To help QCC and Mass-TEC respond to the human capital challenge facing today’s manufacturers, become involved and learn more by commenting on this post!
Categories: Advanced Manufacturing · Manufacturing in Central Massachusetts · Project Update · Quinsigamond Community College · career awareness · education awareness · workforce development
Tagged: career and education awareness, NSF, outreach, QCC, workforce development
The Massachusetts Technician Education Collaborative (Mass-TEC) held its first multilingual, parent outreach and awareness event, titled “Family Academy: Career Choices for Our Children,” on October 23rd and 24th. The program, coordinated by the Worcester Family Engagment Coalition and the Latino Education Institute, actively engaged English-, Spanish-, and Vietnamese-speaking parents for five hours with discussions, employee testimonials, and information about advanced manufacturing education and careers. The event was well attended, with thirty-nine parents and seventeen students on the first evening, and 30 parents and seventeen students on the second evening.
This first parent academy provided the opportunity to address the beliefs and misconceptions parents shared with researchers during Year One’s focus groups. Specifically:
- jobs in manufacturing were labor intensive and in less-than-ideal working conditions that posed long-term health threats
- jobs in manufacturing are low-paying jobs and most often temporary jobs
- jobs in manufacturing do not require a college education, nor do they support people who are seeking a college education
- higher paying manufacturing career ladder positions are not offered to ethnic minorities, people who have English as a Second Language, and/or people who do not hold a college degree.
The strategic presentations, employee interviews (including employees from Intel Corporation, Metso Automation, and Nypro Corp), MassMEP’s Mobile Training Unit (MTU) tour, information about education and career pathways, and multiple opportunities for parents to query presenters allowed the Mass-TEC team to successfully address parents’ concerns and misconceptions about whether or not advanced manufacturing could be a viable career choice for their children.
Presentations and materials used at the first family academy are available for download:
Categories: Advanced Manufacturing · Manufacturing in Central Massachusetts · Outreach Events · Project Update · Quinsigamond Community College · career awareness · education awareness · workforce development
Tagged: career and education awareness, English-speakers, Fall 2008, family, Intel, LEI, Manufacturing, Mass-TEC, MassMEP, Metso, Nypro, outreach, parent, presentations attached, QCC, Spanish-speakers, two-night event, Vietnamese-speakers, WFEC
