Tooling U-SME Blog

Are You Doing Competency Modeling Right?

Date: May 15, 2019
Posted by:John Hindman, Director of Learning Services, Tooling U-SME

The question we will discuss today is: Are you doing competency modeling right? But maybe the first question should be: Are you doing competency modeling at all? You should be if you want to align your business needs with your workforce, eliminate skill gaps and drive talent development. Read More.

Let’s Make Our Workforce and Their Instructors Our Priority

Date: May 09, 2019
Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Vice President, Tooling U-SME

It’s National Teacher Appreciation Week in the U.S., and at Tooling U-SME we recognize the men and women who’ve dedicated their careers to prepare and mentor our incumbent and next-generation manufacturing workforce. Their commitment is invaluable. They work diligently to equip our students with the knowledge and skills they need to learn and stay current with the latest technology and processes. Read More.

Tight Labor Market Means Time to Reskill

Date: April 30, 2019
Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Vice President, Tooling U-SME

A recent story by Lauren Weber in The Wall Street Journal, highlights how, in this tight labor market, companies are starting to retrain the workers they have.

At Tooling U-SME, we see every day how reskilling manufacturing workers reduces recruiting costs and builds engaged, loyal employees by offering clear career pathways. Read More.

Celebrate National Welding Month

Date: April 24, 2019
Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Vice President, Tooling U-SME

April is National Welding Month, so we thought we’d take a look at the status of the welding workforce in America.

But first, we’d like to say Happy Birthday to our friends at the American Welding Society (AWS).

This year marks their 100^th year advancing the science and art of welding. Congratulations on a decade of making a difference. Read More.

Workforce Demographics: a Common Theme at HOUSTEX 2019

Date: April 16, 2019
Posted by:Greg Surtman, workforce education strategist, and Sue Mueller, workforce development specialist, Tooling U-SME

Changing workforce demographics was a hot topic and a common theme during two educational presentations we participated in at the recent HOUSTEX manufacturing event. One was a seminar called “The Onboarding Challenge” and the other was a panel discussion on “Competing for Top Talent During a Labor Shortage.” Read More.

Workforce Insights at SAMA Conference and AME Summit

Date: April 11, 2019
Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Vice President, Tooling U-SME

The face of manufacturing is changing. Advanced manufacturing technology is transforming outdated plant floors to high-tech centers of innovation. At the same time, baby boomers are exiting the workforce and passing the baton to Gen Xers, millennials and the newest addition to the labor force, Gen Z. Read More.

Technology, People and Pizza

Date: April 03, 2019
Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Vice President, Tooling U-SME

Calling all pizza fans. Have you heard about Domino’s Pizza’s Points for Pies promo? Here’s how it works: Through Domino’s app, using artificial intelligence (AI), you take a photo of any pizza you are eating whether it’s from Domino’s or a competitor (a dog’s squeaky pizza toy even works). You earn points for each pizza scanned and, ultimately, that leads to free pizza. Read More.

Partnerships Offer Solutions to Skills Gap Challenges

Date: March 25, 2019
Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Vice President, Tooling U-SME

Many manufacturers recognize they are challenged with a skills gap but don’t know where to start. One innovative way to address the need for training is to create a collaboration between industry and education, such as between a local manufacturer and a community college.

F&P America is a long-standing automotive supplier of specialty functional suspension products in Troy, Ohio. F&P has been challenged with finding workers who have the technical skills they need. Read More.

Strong Manufacturing Communities Help Close the Skills Gap

Date: March 13, 2019
Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Vice President, Tooling U-SME

By now, we’ve all heard the daunting news: Nearly 3.5 million manufacturing jobs will likely need to be filled over the next decade. And because of the impending skills gap caused in large part by baby-boomer retirements and changing technology, 2 million of those jobs are likely to remain unfilled. What’s more, this shortage cannot quickly be remedied, as it takes an average of 70 days to recruit skilled production workers. Read More.

Getting Started With Lean

Date: February 26, 2019
Posted by:Chad Vincent, Director of Lean Manufacturing, American Railcar Industries

Chad Vincent is a Continuous Improvement Leader with 20 years of experience, having a successful record of orchestrating cultural change and improving organizational performance utilizing Lean, Six Sigma, and other continuous improvement methodologies. He is the former chair of the Lean Certification Oversight and Appeals Committee. In this blog post, he discusses how organizations can begin their lean journey. Read More.