Producing a High-Performance Manufacturing Workforce

T H E N AT I O N A L A S S O C I AT I O N O F M A N U FA C T U R E R S E N D O R S E D

Skills Certification System

More than ever before, business innovation is astrategic imperative. A highly skilled and educatedworkforce is the most critical element for innovationsuccess, and countries with high-performanceworkforces are more competitive in the complexglobal marketplace. The reality threatening U.S.global competitiveness is that U.S. manufacturingexecutives consistently cite difficulties in findinghigh-quality talent. These skills shortages pervade all stages of manufacturing—from engineeringto skilled production.

Manufacturers can no longer afford to wait. It is time to educate and train the next generation of manufacturing talent.

institute.nam.org

Overview

Producing a High-Performance Manufacturing Workforce

T H E N AT I O N A L A S S O C I AT I O N O F M A N U FA C T U R E R S E N D O R S E D

Skills Certification System institute.nam.org

The NAM-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System is currently being deployed incommunity colleges across the country. Four pilot projects in Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, andWashington State have set a national precedent for the deployment of the program in all 50 states. As of September 2010, a total of 25 states have been in strategic planning for deployment of the NAM-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System.

For a current update on activities in your state, please contact institute@nam.org.

National use and impact

The NAM-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System credentials have real value in the manufacturing workplace:

>> For individuals seeking valuable careers in manufacturing;>> For workers who need to improve their skills to advance to higher level positions;>> For workers whose jobs may be at risk, or workers who have lost a job and need to return to the workforce;>> For individuals coming out of the military; and,>> For people moving out of welfare and into work.

Pathways to Employment

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Workplace Competencies

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I. PersonalEffectivenessCompetencies

The NAM-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System is a system of stackable credentials applicable to all sectors in the manufacturing industry. These nationally portable, industry-recognized credentials validate the skills and competencies needed to be productive and successful in entry-level positions in any manufacturing environment. The credentialing partners that comprise the Skills Certification System are ACT, the American Welding Society, the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council, the National Institute of Metalworking Skills, and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.

The NAM-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System includes both technical and non-technical skills, ensuring that individuals have both the personal and professional skills necessary for advanced manufacturing. The skills sets, based on the industry-developed Advanced Manufacturing Competency Model, include four tiers of manufacturing competencies:

The Challenges

Demographics: We face a graying workforce coupled with a shrinking pipeline.

>> Nearly 30% of our nation’s youth drop out of high school; 7,000 drop out every day.>> “Boomers” will be retiring by 2011 as the number of workers ages 65-74 will increase by 83%.>> Jobs in advanced manufacturing increasingly require some form of postsecondary education, but only 18% of ninth graders go on to graduate from high school and receive an associates degree in 3 years or a bachelors degree in 6 years.

Technological advances in modern manufacturing require more advanced skill sets.

>> Today’s innovation-based manufacturing requires a technical workforce with better applied science and math skills, team building, and problem solving, as well as a holistic knowledge of manufacturing principles that enables them to advance with the evolution of new business processes.

Major deficits in our education system hamper U.S. competitiveness on the world stage: our global competitors continue to surpass our educational system in producing a high-volume, high-quality technical workforce.

>> Too few high school graduates are ready for college or ready for work, and even fewer are versed in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.>> Test scores show that the United States trails in both math and science against students in advanced economies such as Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom, and in developing economies such as those in Hungary and Poland.

The NAM-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System

The Solution

A renaissance in manufacturing education, including:

>> Competency-based, customized education and training for the manufacturing workforce;

>> Technology-infused, more industry-relevant education;

>> Increased access to post-secondary degrees and industry-recognized credentials; and,

>> Clear career pathways aligned to competency- based education and certification programs.

Personal effectivenessWill they show up on time, ready for work, and be able to work in teams?

Essential academic skills in reading, writing, math, and using and locating informationCan they communicate effectively and interpret key instructions?

Core manufacturing competenciesDo they understand the basics of safety, quality assurance and continuous improvement, or lean?

Key technical skills for the production line, welding, machining and metalforming or CNCDo they have high-tech skills consistent with the product line’s needs and basic technology skills related to manufacturing processes?

The certifications are aligned to secondary and postsecondary programs of study, giving students the basic education along with the industry-relevant training they need for entry-level employment, advancement, or to pursue a degree.

Skills forManufacturing