Posts Tagged ‘apprenticeships’

Sequestration and job training

March 14th, 2013
By: Vicki Bell

You think the skilled worker shortage is bad now? It could get worse.

We’re almost two weeks into sequestration, and queued on the chopping block is federal funding for training programs. Last month, the National Skills Coalition released a report: “Disinvesting in the Skills of America’s Workforce – The Potential Impact of Sequestration on Key Federal Employment and Training Programs."

According to the report, “federal workforce development programs will be deeply impacted by these cuts. Despite federal disinvestments of more than 30 percent since 2001—with more than $1 billion in cuts just since 2010—critical employment and training programs stand to lose at least another $460 million in 2013 if the sequesters go into effect. (more...)

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Another training option

December 5th, 2012
By: Vicki Bell

Last week I wrote about vocational training—how programs that were being decimated a decade ago are seeing a strong comeback with even stronger participation. Many are adding classes to accommodate waiting lists.

While music to manufacturers’ ears, this training alone likely will not be enough to make up for the huge deficit of skilled workers, at least not in a timely manner. Some companies are turning to something that once was the principal means by which craft workers learned their trades but now plays a relatively small part in the U.S.—apprenticeships. (more...)

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Manufacturing is not farming

September 27th, 2011
By: Tim Heston

In manufacturing, fewer Americans are producing more. The output keeps growing, the employment numbers keep shrinking, and this spurs people to think about corn and soybeans. The same thing that happened to farming--which employs so few but produces so much--is happening to manufacturing.

But I’m not so sure that’s true. You’d think that if fewer people produced more, productivity would go up, right?  It turns out that in manufacturing, productivity gains and employment numbers don’t seem to be inversely related. Consider Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris’ argument made in his book, Make It In America, published earlier this year.

(more...)

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The fabricator's apprentice

September 29th, 2010
By: Vicki Bell

Yesterday I ran across an item about a U.K. company, Ladbrook Engineering, that has taken on its first apprentice in 20 years. In an article published on cambridgenetwork.co.uk, Ladbrook's Manufacturing Director Paul Goodman is quoted as saying, "Capable and experienced engineers are very difficult to find at the moment. In order to compete in the world, we need highly skilled toolmakers and press setters; training our own seems to be the clearest way forward for us at this time. Taking on Tom as an apprentice is an exciting start."

I agree; taking on apprentices is an exciting — and smart — start toward addressing the lack of highly skilled labor — a step that more and more companies in the U.K. appear to be taking. Perhaps U.S. companies would be wise to follow suit. (more...)

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