Tooling U-SME Blog

New Report: Balancing Operations and Training

Date: November 12, 2019
Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Chief Workforce Development Officer, SME

Implementing a comprehensive, consistent learning and development program can seem daunting. But it doesn’t need to be.

We hear from a lot of manufacturers who are at risk. They need training to move their organizations forward, reduce quality errors, meet customer demands, and grow — but they resist taking teams away from the day-to-day operations for this training because they don’t have enough people. Read More.

Building an Industry 4.0 Career Pathway

Date: October 29, 2019
Posted by:Sue Mueller, Senior Workforce Development Strategist, Tooling U-SME

Recently I attended the 31^st annual National Coalition of Advanced Technology Center (NCATC) conference, “Moving Industry 4.0 Forward: Models for Competency-Based Credentialing and Career Pathways.” Read More.

Opening the World of Manufacturing to Kids

Date: October 04, 2019
Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Chief Workforce Development Officer, SME

Tooling U-SME has been an advocate of Manufacturing Day since the program’s inception in 2012. Over the years, we have supported academic programs and provided high schools, community colleges and universities with curriculum to prepare the next-generation workforce for successful and fulfilling careers in manufacturing. We do this because we believe in the strength of the industrial sector and the resilience of its people. Read More.

Educators & Industry Join to Graduate Pre-apprenticeship Students

Date: September 26, 2019
Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Chief Workforce Development Officer, SME

According to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), apprenticeships show 56 percent growth since 2013. In 2018, nationwide, there were over 585,000 apprentices. This is a proven strategy for developing a workforce that is essential for the prosperity of the nation.

Manufacturing has long been an advocate of apprenticeship programs.

The results are clear: Read More.

Students, Parents and Industry Can Be on the Same Page about a Career in Manufacturing

Date: September 10, 2019
Posted by:Lori Byrne, Workforce Education Specialist, Tooling U-SME

The start of a new school year alerts educators to the numbers of students that have enrolled at their community or technical college across the country.

Declining enrollment is always a consideration. Nearly 60 percent of community college presidents reported that enrollment is down at their institutions over the last few years, ... Read More.

Smart Move, Amazon

Date: August 27, 2019
Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Chief Workforce Development Officer, SME

Recently Amazon announced a plan to invest over $700 million to upskill 100,000 U.S. employees by 2025. That’s about $7,000 per worker.

Especially with a tight labor market, this is a smart investment. Read More.

Preparing for Multicultural Generations in the Manufacturing Workforce

Date: July 30, 2019
Posted by:Denise Ball, Regional Client Executive and Workforce Development Specialist, Tooling U-SME

Everyone knows about needing to fill the manufacturing skills gap, but are you ready to integrate the influx of younger generations entering the workforce with your incumbent workers? Now is the time to prepare for the cultural shift that is rolling in as fast as the silver tsunami is rolling out. Read More.

Finding Skilled Talent: Partnerships Play a Key Role

Date: July 18, 2019
Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Chief Workforce Development Officer, SME

This blog is the second of two related to issues raised in the 2019 Tooling U-SME report, “The True Cost of Turnover: Hidden Costs Go Beyond Financial to Impact Productivity and Culture.” Read More.

Prevent Turnover: Take Steps to Retain Skilled Talent

Date: June 27, 2019
Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Chief Workforce Development Officer, SME

Today’s blog is the first of two related issues raised in the 2019 Tooling U-SME report, “The True Cost of Turnover: Hidden Costs Go Beyond Financial to Impact Productivity and Culture.” Read More.

Lincoln Electric and Tooling U-SME: Strengthening the Welding Workforce Together

Date: June 11, 2019
Posted by:Chad Schron, Senior Director, Tooling U-SME

According to the American Welding Society (AWS), the welding industry will face a shortage of 450,000 operators by 2020, and that figure could increase if the industries impacted by this sector don’t act now and address the lack of skilled professionals in this field. Luckily, manufacturing stakeholders across the country have been working together to help stop this occurrence. We hear more and more about industry collaborating with academia, government, and associations to train the workforce properly. Read More.