Training Industry Quarterly - Summer 2013 - (Page 23)

ADDR E S S I N G T H E S K I L L E D T R ADE C RI S IS B Y E R I C One of the greatest challenges facing today’s American manufacturing base is a dwindling supply of qualified skilled trades talent. At its most basic, the problem is straightforward — the current qualified workforce is departing with insufficient numbers of skilled workers to replace them. One contributing factor is that the U.S.’s manufacturing-based economy is shifting to becoming a service-based one. As a result, the focus on manufacturing skills and capabilities required to stay competitive have been lost. A second contributing factor is the socioeconomic changes within the culture that have led young talent to seek “white collar” occupational fields. Finally, traditional sources for this labor pool are drying up. High school industrial arts programs are gone; local community colleges cannot keep up with diverse manufacturing equipment and processes; and the military has shifted its focus, producing fewer resources with the skills training needed. R O D G E R S ANALYZING POSSIBILITIES FOR OVERCOMING THE SKILLED TALENT SHORTAGE Organizations face a myriad of complexities associated with the resource gap. And, considerations that must be resolved include: • New hires or internal hires • Regional labor pools or imported labor • Initial testing requirements, scoring and process • Acceptable minimum skills/knowledge levels • Skills assessments, the assessment vehicle and assessment party • Pay-for-performance structure or traditional tiered categories • Unionized labor agreements and/or contract requirements • Internal training approaches, regional versus centralized • Leveraged community college programs • External training program assistance This just scratches the surface of the complexities that must be reviewed for each organization. However, once the selection and recruiting process has been established, the focus turns to a Training Industry Quarterly, Summer 2013 / A Training Industry, Inc. magazine / www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ 23 http://www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Quarterly - Summer 2013

Training Industry Quarterly - Summer 2013
From Where I Sit: Talent Management: An Emerging Business Strategy
Table of Contents
Ad Index
Guest Editor: Lessons from Shakespeare
Beyond Training
Dealing with Trust Issues
Younger Boss, Older Worker
Four Skills Needed in the Future Workplace
Survive & Thrive with Performance Support
How to Optimize Behavior Change for Business Impact
Addressing the Skilled Trade Crisis
Cultural Differences in Training
Gender Communication in the Workplace
Meeting the Needs of Gen Y Learners
A Leaders 'Crashless' Course: Helping Employees Drive Career Development
DeVry: Growing Talent with Blended Learning Solutions
Live Face-to-Face Training Still Leads the Way
Tweet Suite
Company News

Training Industry Quarterly - Summer 2013