Workforce Development Tool Box

Washington State Manufacturers Express Concerns about Workforce Development

CAMPS has been surveying members asking their hiring needs. A number of companies say they plan to hire. The types of positions are direct factory positions and indirect support jobs.

The most commonly expressed concern manufacturers cite is the inability to find skilled applicants or qualified applicants to train.

They are filling the void by paying overtime to current employees, subcontracting work out, hiring temporary employees who possess partial skills, and in some instances turning down business. All of these are impacting long-term growth and profitability. The manufacturers feel the situation is only going to get worse, unless a solution is found. Manufacturers also have taken the stance that they need to take a more active role in workforce training.

CAMPS programs are based on 'industry driven' solutions where companies have indicated the desire to find candidates who have demonstrated a 'willingness to learn' and can communicate in a manufacturing environment. Thus the Training to Placement to Advancement (TPA) was developed and tested in a Pilot Project in May 2011 and the first (M2M) class was completed in November 2011 with 22 graduated candidates. The second step is the Structured On-the Job (SOJT) Training Program to train incumbents to move up, creating an opening for a (M2M) candidate or to help the (M2M) candidate to go to a higher level position rapidly from entry level.

These activities directly address workforce development and the immediate concerns for manufacturers, some are: