| Set Industry Training to Fast Forward
Have you recently transitioned an employee into a
new position?
Are you preparing to hire interns?
Do you need help bringing new staff
up-to-speed quickly and efficiently?
If you've answered yes to any of these questions, look no further than the online course Elements of Industrial Distribution.
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Greetings!
On May 7 and 8, more than 20 distributors, manufacturers, associations and educators came together at the ICP Conference in Dearborn, Mich., to work on shared issues around industrial distribution workforce development.
This issue of Pathways is devoted to sharing information from the ICP Conference. Last year marked five years of ICP's pilot project, which developed college programs in industrial distribution in the U.S. and Canada. Conference attendees dove into the lessons learned during the pilot and a report on the pilot program applying these lessons to today's issues and planning for tomorrow.
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| Manufacturing and ID: Shared Challenges and New Opportunities |
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As distributors and their manufacturing partners stare down the recession, connecting with tomorrow's work force may seem like a long-forgotten priority. With workforce reductions at many companies, it's easy to see why some may think the pool of qualified talent is growing.
However, as Peg Walton, director of the National Center for the American Workforce at NAM's The Manufacturing Institute, explained at the ICP Conference, we are "looking into an abyss" over the next decade, in which our demand will be greater than the number of available workers. According to Walton, industry will increasingly compete for talent in a "shallow pond...and when you have an image problem [like manufacturing and industrial distribution], you may find yourself bottom feeding," rather than being able to hire the best people.
To respond to this demographic reality, the National Center for the American Workforce has developed the Dream !t Do !t campaign to attract the next generation of workers to manufacturing. Like ICP, this campaign promotes the good pay and interesting jobs available to young adults.
Download Walton's presentation to learn more about the Dream !t Do !t campaign. Also, read how ICP is meeting the challenge and preparing a critical outreach and information resource by revamping its Web site in a first step to expansion in 2010. |
| Local Champions Drive ICP's Success |
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 The energy and passion of local champions has driven the ICP program from conception to reality in Detroit and Hamilton, Ontario. At the ICP Conference, we heard from two industry champions, John Masek of Bearing Service Inc. and Richard Ayuen of KINECOR LP, who have each helped drive successful college programs to train local talent.
The expansion into new colleges and regions in 2010 requires the dedication of local industry champions to work with schools, recruit students and even teach classes. Read how Masek and Ayuen created successful programs, and contact us at info@industrialcareerspathway.org if you're interested in working with a college in your area.
You can also learn about the resources ICP is developing for its champions on the Web. |
| How do I Know ICP-Trained Job Seekers Possess the Skills My Company Needs? |
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When ICP program supporters talk about the work ICP is conducting to train new employees, this question invariably is asked. With five college sites across the U.S. and Canada -- and more to come -- how can ICP vouch for the level of training students' receive?
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| Want to Know More? |
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Read the recap of the 2009 ICP Conference and download the Industrial Distribution College Pilot Initiative Project Report for an in-depth look at the industrial career programs and the Key Success Factors guiding ICP into 2010.
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