Apprenticeship, Intern and Co-op Programs = Sustainable Growth!

Wisconsin, like other Midwest states, benefits from generations of workers with strong work ethics and skills. These traits were enhanced by a vocational education system that generated skilled workers for all trades needed to fuel our economic engine. Unfortunately, all we talk about today is the growing skills gap and “workforce paradox” facing our country. How can the unemployment rate be so high with manufacturers struggling to fill skilled positions? Many of the answers lie squarely on our shoulders and in our own business models! For many years, manufacturers have forgotten to invest in talent as much as technology or equipment. Vocational schools stopped generating skilled workers because manufacturers did not require enough students, and parents did not support children entering the trades—“those dirty low-technology manufacturing jobs do not provide opportunity for a viable career.” Interestingly, the manufacturing that we all know is very technical and requires skilled tradespeople to meet production requirements. US talent is some of the best in the world and that is why we score high in productivity. Unfortunately, we are not seeing enough young new talent entering our factories because there is no good pathway. We have dug a hole—now we must fill it quickly to prevent a talent void in our factories. It is our responsibility to create career pathways for our young people so they can be made ready in high school and then further trained in apprenticeship programs and universities. Partnerships with our public schools, technical colleges and universities are paramount to creating successful education tracks that lead to careers in our factories. We must have apprentices, interns and co-op students in our organizations! We have one apprentice today and have hired several interns over the last couple of years, but this will not sustain our growth and need for additional talent. Our goal for 2013 is to have 10% of our workforce populated with apprentices, interns and co-op students. My hope is that this will continue to grow over time so we can create a sustainable pathway for students to find careers at Waukesha® Metal Products. – Jeff Clark