How to Rebuild America’s Manufacturing Workforce
inspiration came from his observation that the low-income youth he mentored had ambition and talent, but “little scope to plug into the mainstream economy.” This was due, he felt, to a lack of exposure to “professional culture,” which put them at risk of being permanently marginalized.77
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or to ensure effective communication between educational institutions and the private sector. Proposals Based on our interviews and existing research on successful collaborations between educators and employers, we suggest keeping the following principles in mind:
When promoting manufacturing training programs, it is critical for reformers to keep cognitive and non-cognitive skills firmly in mind. Although these skills are called “soft,” promoting a strong 1 Neutral third-party organizations can help bring employers workforce ethic and problem-solving mindset in youth is crucial and educators to the table. Intermediary organizations, to building a pipeline of properly trained, work-ready employees. such as local industry associations, can play a key role in bringing manufacturers to the table. Ryan Costella of Click Bond, a midsize fasteners manufacturer, helped establish the Takeaways: collaborative manufacturing training partnership Dream It Do It Nevada (see page 67 for more details). He credits industry 1 The lack of emphasis on “soft associations with having the credibility and connections to skills” by training programs has convince several smaller employers to join the partnership. As he exacerbated the lack of alignment explains, “Manufacturers are not social animals by nature, but between training/education the state manufacturers’ association had the legitimacy to bring providers and regional employers. companies to the table to create a meaningful partnership.” 2 Educators and employers should Similarly, one dean interviewed, who managed a training cooperate to ensure that graduates program supported by multiple employers, credited the industry leave training programs with the association in his region with playing a key role in launching hard and soft skills they will need the program. The association, he claimed, was able to use its to succeed in the workplace. reputation to “pound the table” and push for consensus among employers; later, they also helped overcome fears among the Solution: How to build successful partnerships smaller firms participating that larger manufacturers would between employers and educators In markets where broad demand for talent exists, but individual benefit disproportionately from the program. organizations don’t have the financial resources or market Educators and employers who form training partnerships pull to create their own training programs, pooling resources may wish to have a third-party organization manage the can be an effective solution. However, it is not always easy for disparate employers to agree about what skills need to be taught, partnership’s day-to-day operations, in order to address any