At a recent roundtable discussion attended by a dozen Ohio CNC machine shop owners, a main topic of discussion was the difficulty filling shop floor jobs. All agreed that there is a dearth of qualified candidates for a number of reasons including:
- Misconceptions among young people about modern work environments, pay and advancement opportunities in CNC shops.
- Lack of work ethic and pride in a job well done by people who fall into the workforce because they don’t know what else to do.
- Machining education is limited and seldom offers enough hands-on experience.
- Smaller shops can’t compete with large manufacturing companies for available talent.
One way to address these concerns is to establish an apprenticeship program, a concept that was once commonplace in manufacturing. Some CNC shops don’t believe they can afford such a program, yet if you consider the high cost of hiring, training and turning over lackluster employees, investing for the future through an apprenticeship program makes good fiscal sense.
Like any other successful endeavor it helps to have a plan before jumping into an apprenticeship program. To help you get started, here are a few tips from shops that have apprenticeships in place:
- Find and select the right candidates. You want people interested in a career, not just a job. This means attending job fairs, visiting area high schools, holding information sessions and posting program details on social media and your Web site. Once you’ve identified potential candidates, you’ll want to employ a rigorous evaluation to make sure the would-be apprentices have the basic skills and commitment to succeed.
- Don’t overlook women and former military. More and more women are taking their rightful place in manufacturing, and military personnel returning to civilian life often bring with them skills and maturity acquired in the service.
- Form alliances with local schools. Apprentices need education as well as hands-on experiences. Find technical schools or community colleges in your area that have machining courses. Haas partners with schools across the country through its HTEC Partners program that enables schools to acquire CNC machine tools and other equipment. Plus the Gene Haas Foundation awards grants and scholarships to schools that prepare students for careers in CNC manufacturing.
- Tuition reimbursing. You’ll need to establish policies that include tying the reimbursement to continued employment with your company for a specified period of time.
- Assign mentors. Nothing beats a real world education. As your apprentices develop their skills they’ll need on the job training from seasoned employees who will mentor them.
- Have a retention plan. To protect your investment and achieve your goal of developing talent for the long term, you must have competitive wages, benefits and advancement opportunities. Equally important is establishing a positive company culture and workplace environment. One of the most powerful yet overlooked ways to reward employees is regularly thanking them for a job well done.
Through its many educational outreaches, Haas helps develop the next generation of talent for CNC machine shops. Your Torrance Haas Factory Outlet can tell you more. Give them a call: (310) 381-0750, email: jphillips@haasfactoryoutlet.com, or visit www.haasfactoryoutlet.com.