Training to Placement to Advancement

What is the TPA Program?

Training to Placement to Advancement (TPA) is a training program seeking to provide a connection between Washington state unemployed/underemployed workers, immigrant populations, and military veterans with the manufacturing industry. CAMPS along with Burst for Prosperity, Cares of Washington, and Green River Community College, through a grant from the Workforce Development Council Seattle-King County completed a Pilot Project to recruit, screen, and train candidates to meet the expressed needs to the companies — willingness to learn and improved communication in the manufacturing environment. This Pilot Project was called the “TPA Program”.

The Components of the TPA Program are:

  • Pre-assessment and readiness — Applicant intake was performed by partnering neighborhood centers and agencies. Applicants were referred to the TPA Program through these agencies required to meet minimum standards for basic skills, such as math, writing, and communication; as well as basic technology skills.
  • Applicant testing — All applicants were required to take a mechanical aptitude and interest test — Wiesen Test of Mechanical Aptitude. The Wiesen Test provides feedback on the interest and aptitude of individuals in mechanical applications. These tests were used in the weighting model for acceptance and not simply to qualify or disqualify applicants.
  • Training curriculum — Training curriculum was developed in conjunction with CAMPS, Green River Community College, and Nancy Zeller, the trainer.
  • Training — The training was conducted over 4 Saturdays at the GRCC Kent Campus. Training sessions were limited to 25 and the applicant process was selective. The training entailed approximately 24 hours of classroom training, with a final session involving manufacturing plant tours. All sessions occur on Saturdays and candidates were not compensated. To continue in the training, candidates were required to attend all classes and show up on time. This was a firm requirement.

The curriculum was delivered by a professional trainer and entails:

  • Introduction to Manufacturing — a step by step explanation of what manufacturing is all about, such as assembly operations, machining operations, material types, work flow, and how all the operations fit together to make products (s) or provide services. There was an emphasis on process and the importance of team dynamics.
  • Applied Skills:
    • Basic shop math
    • Shop hand tools and instrumentation, including use of measurement tool
    • Technical drawings and related document
  • Shop Safety — basic safety practices, OSHA/WISHA, MSDS Sheets, and other common requirements
  • Manufacturing processes and workflow — step-by-step process flows and how each step can impact how the entire process works together.
  • Manufacturing Methodologies — understanding quality programs and processes, with an introduction to such things as six sigma, ISO, etc. to enable an understanding of how they may fit into a new environment or culture.
  • Tests to determine progress — there were segment tests to determine progressive learning and there was a final comprehensive test to determine retention and understanding.
  • Plant Tour — Upon completion of the classroom training candidates were invited to attend a detailed plant tour of participating companies. The tour demonstrated how the materials covered in the earlier training sessions are utilized.

Work-readiness and Life Skills Support

  • Cares of Washington partnered to offer support through the “Connect for Success” Program to assist candidates dealing with outside obstacles, such as transportation, childcare, and other issues that may affect the completion of the training. An Associate Certified Coach & Advancement Specialist with CARES of Washington assisted individuals how to make contact or to answer any questions potential employers may have.
  • The Washington National Guard, j9 Coordinator provided work-readiness and life skills support to the four veteran students. These programs exist in the Washington National Guard and already have contact with these participants.

Project Evaluation — An independent professional evaluation consultant participated in each step of the program, to provide an evaluation of the successes and challenges. This critical evaluation will help CAMPS to correct weaknesses in the program.

Expectations of the TPA Program — At the end of the training sessions there were 20 individuals available for CAMPS member manufacturing companies to use as an applicant pool for entry-level jobs, most with a base rate of $12 per hour. CAMPS monitored the progress of the TPA graduates and observed two issues for future training. Many of the low income and immigrant population simply don’t know how to look for a job and in four reported instances companies tried to contact the applicants and could not reach the person for an interview. One high point was a national guardsman had looked for a job for 10 months with no success and within two weeks of completing the TPA was hired by a CAMPS member company at $15 per hour as a manufacturing lead.

Structured On the Job Training (SOJT)

Background

Most manufacturers already provide training on-site to employees. The challenge they have is the training is provided by other employees who may or may not know how to train and the training is not structured or documented. This leads to inconsistency and longer learning curves when additional employees are trained. CAMPS members also realize that there are some specialized operating skills that can be transferred to other applications and not requiring the need to fully recreate new programs for similar applications. For example, a CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) machining center, waterjet, laser cutter, plasma cutter, or robotics operation all require set-up, programming, tool selection, material placement, and all supply automated processes. Another example deals with assembly, there are similarities in electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic assembly and testing operations. By creating modules, training curriculum can be developed and then adjusted to meet more specific equipment and process requirements. By CAMPS developing the SOJT program, the costs can be shared when several companies have the same equipment, but may be service different industry sectors and not competitors.

The key attributes of the SOJT program are:

  • Accelerated on-site training
  • Training focused on current technology, equipment and processes
  • Structured to meet specific company needs and trainee capabilities
  • Customized to accommodate single or a few trainees at a time
  • Use of hands-on trainers, accessing shop floor needs and tools
  • Cost sharing by companies, where similar training can be shared or modified to meet the needs of each company

This program allows CAMPS to first identify the status of the job and skill requirements.

  • Nature of work — (specialized assembly, machine operations, advanced materials, etc.)
  • Procedures — (review of existing or development of new processes essential to train)
  • Equipment — (provides an assessment of equipment used for longer term program development and to provide input to community colleges and trade schools of current and changing technologies)
  • Work inputs and outputs — (provides real time feedback on throughput rates, quality, and on-time deliveries)
  • Personal requirements — (includes safety and hazardous training as part of the skills development)
  • Requisite knowledge — (can be paces and adjusted to meet individual learning rates and already established skills
  • Aptitudes — individuals with high motivation and demonstrated talent can move upward and onto technical and academic training programs, feeding the community colleges and universities.
  • Database or Portal — CAMPS will maintain a tracking of training provided and status of the individuals trained. CAMPS has an advantage that it can keep track of those working for CAMPS members. The veteran population is already being tracked by the Washington State National Guard and Veterans Affairs. Additional efforts will be developed improve the tracking of the low income and immigrant populations.

Benefits to the Company

  • Training is developed on site with the creation of an SOJT manual and checklist. This will become the company’s manual with the opportunity to revise as needed with best practices. This manual also starts or keeps the company on the path with ISO Certification, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and other continuous improvement processes to support advanced manufacturing practices.
  • There are specific Training Implementation steps taken to transfer knowledge from the Subject Matter Expert (SME) as the trainer consults with the SME. The trainer is skilled in the field of criteria development, performance, and evaluation analysis. This is critical when the SME is about to retire and the transfer of knowledge is essential.
  • When the actual training takes place the trainer is able to explain the task to the trainee, the SME then demonstrates the task and the trainee explains the task, in turn the trainee is able to do both, demonstrate and explain the task. After each identified segment of training the trainee is quizzed by the trainer. This can be in written or oral form.
  • The SOJT process has Skill Assessments, Trainer Task Self-Evaluations, SOJT & Training Performance Reviews and Post Training Interview information as part of the overall measurable.
  • Ultimately the evaluation process will determine results of the company’s Return on Investment (ROI) as the model develops the cost of training, development, OJT component, employee time, organization performance measures post training compared to pre-training as well as an effort to measure increase in quality or quality of product.
  • A very important aspect of the SOJT program is also the assessment of the trainee knowledge by conducting a Pre-training and Post-training Knowledge Test. This is followed by an Employee Action Plan with defined objectives for the employee to ensure they have a clear objective and an opportunity to demonstrate competency. A supervisor may be the evaluator at this level. The SME is released to duty and the cost of a trainer is not necessary at this time. This full scope of assignment is described more in depth in the SOJT scope of work.
  • The final step is a Train the Trainer. The process is completed and documented, enabling an on-going program.

Career Pathway Development

By creating a training system that allows an incumbent worker to elevate their skill sets systematically within a company, career pathways may be more readily utilized. This pathway allows an employee to take advantage of tuition reimbursement which many companies offer in their employee benefits package. The CAMPS Workforce Assessment Survey results indicate that 74% of the small and medium size manufacturers have training budgets. At the same time, 42% of the companies indicated they provide on-the-job training, while another 23% indicate they use outside consultants or trainers. Only 23% rely on the education institutions for training programs. The most often cited reasons for these investment patterns are the need for more foundational skills to with the job applications or they cannot find programs in alignment with the company skill needs.

CAMPS is currently in the process of developing a database of manufacturing capabilities, that will include equipment and processes that can be a resource for the education community to focus on real job needs and education a the certificate and degree programs. Examples can include equipment programming, maintenance diagnostics, quality control techniques, logistics, technician level training in areas of testing, analysis, and engineering technology training. The can then lead into the university level engineering, business management, and other more advanced level programs. This development of the career pathways creates an opportunity for CAMPS in the connector role to work with technical and community colleges and universities to help identify needed classes to support 21st Century, “Advanced Manufacturing” in Washington State. 

training to placement training to placement
training to placement training to placement