Improving training for manufacturers

Apprenticeship eff ort aims to help employers effi ciently teach basic skills to new hires

Clifford F. Lindholm III , president and CEO of Clifton-based Falstrom Co. , said a basic-skills shortage is faced by not only New Jersey manufacturers, but national ones. Lindholm, network chairman, is helping write the proposed curriculum.Lindholm said New Jersey manufacturers tend to produce niche products that require specialized skills and knowledge - but creation of those products may require certain skills, such as being able to convert fractions to decimals, that prospective employees don't have.The NJBIA is working with the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development to write a 12-week curriculum that includes these skills, as well as basic manufacturing knowledge, covering areas like production fl ow, metallurgy and blueprint reading, and analysis.The New Jersey Business & Industry Association and the state's county colleges are working together on a pilot program to teach basic skills preparing potential employees to become apprentices."We thought we could fuse everything together," he said.By preparing a worker for the registered apprenticeship programs, the program would allow the employer to receive a $5,000 incentive from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, according to Jaime Reichardt , director of taxation and work force development for the NJBIA."Despite the diffi cult economic times, there is a need for skilled people to work in manufacturing companies," said Lindholm, adding that his company, which makes products for the military, could benefi t from the program if it were to grow.E-mail to: akitchenman@njbiz.comParticipants who make it through a screening process would both take classes and participate in on-the-job training through an internship at an employer, with the goal of becoming an apprentice.The program is based on a survey by the NJBIA's manufacturing network, which found employers require better-skilled employees, but those manufacturers aren't always able to participate in federal and state apprentice programs, because they don't have the skills to work as tool and dye makers, welders, machinists, and technicians.Reichardt said the current state-funded apprentice program - which allows manufacturers with up to 450 employees to offset the cost of training workers - is underused. In 2010, there were 166 people registered in 32 occupations, according to Labor Department spokesman Brian Murray."The goal would be to expand it, and going forward, it's a model that I think the community colleges could put together in a lot of different industries," Reichardt said.While the new pilot program, planned for a launch at the beginning of next year, would only include up to a dozen participating employers and trainees, its planners said it would be expanded, if it wins state support when the curriculum is finalized.The colleges are in an excellent position to serve the entire state if the program is expanded, said Robert Bowman , executive director of the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development. The curriculum would be portable across all 67 college campuses."What we want to do is design a program that will provide broad-based training, that will allow companies to customize that (training), so that they can have people come in the door and be productive," Lindholm said.NEW JERSEY MANUFACTURERS frustrated with the lack of basic skills they fi nd when looking for new workers may soon have a new source for skilled employees.

E-mail to: akitchenman@njbiz.com

Training To Be A Welder In Jacksonville Beach Florida

Training to be a welder in Jacksonville Beach, Florida is a great decision because people are always in need of welders. Thus, this is one career that could give someone longevity in their chosen job market. Welders take pieces of metal and plastic and join them together using special equipment. This is a job that is well suited for people who want to work with their hands, understand how materials can come together and work, and for those who are not afraid to work with heavy materials.

Great Career for People Good with Their HandsThe Benefits of an Associate's DegreeA Jacksonville Beach welding Associate's degree is perfect for someone who enjoy working with his or her own hands. This is because the materials are often heavy, and a person needs to be quite exact to achieve desired effects. Welders should also have a superior attention to detail because the materials are often hot and dangerous. Thus, efficiency and precision are important in this field. It will help if people have an interest in metals and chemistry, since metal is the most common material used in welding.A person can sign up for a Jacksonville Beach welding Associate's degree to gain the necessary experience. This is a smart decision. In a training school or program, one will be taught the latest techniques and will be shown the best equipment around by experienced welders and teachers. Though one can become a welder by apprenticing with a local expert, this may lead to an uneven or less than thorough education. Instead, by signing up for Jacksonville Beach welding courses, one can be taught the cutting edge tips emerging in the field, which in turn will make an individual more competitive when he or she enters the workforce. Many training schools also have job placement programs and will help connect students to area welders and companies.

This is one industry that is always in need of solid welders. After all, people really do have to train and gain the necessary experience before they enter this world. An Associate's degree in welding is smart for people who like to work with their hands, enjoy making things, aren't afraid of hot metals, and are thorough and precise with their work.