NEW JERSEY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

February 7, 2020 by njmepdevadmin

The Employer, Educational Institutions, and the Employee

Workforce development in New Jersey is a challenging obstacle to address. A shortage of the right skills is making it incredibly difficult for manufacturers to locate that perfect hire. Often manufacturers are forced to leave job descriptions on multiple job boards that end up going unanswered. Worse yet, many times candidates reach out but have none of the applicable skills these businesses require. It can be easy to think that there just aren’t workers available.

A change in thinking has led to looking within. Upskilling workers or hiring an individual with the right personality and train them to fit a specific position are both viable options. However, manufacturers are busy. Pulling an experienced manufacturing professional away from their day to day responsibilities to train a new hire can be taxing on a small or medium manufacturing enterprise. To address the workforce challenges facing New Jersey manufacturers, NJMEP developed the Pro-Action Education Network™.

Through a three-pronged approach, the Pro-Action Education Network™ combines educational institution networks support for employers while supplying the right resources and insights to the potential talent pool and the current workforce. The goal is to bridge the skills gap and provide New Jersey manufacturers with the right partners and talent.

The Employer Advantage – Apprenticeships

Building skills, building confidence, building the future through recruiting and training is the most disruptive challenge employers are facing. The apprenticeship model allows employers to take charge of building a pipeline of highly-skilled and highly-motivated workers. The NJMEP Registered Apprenticeship programs offer a flexible training solution aligned with national industry standards and your company-specific needs.

The Pro-Action Education Network™ is ideal for employers that have…

Jobs that are difficult to fill with the right candidates
Positions that have a high turnover
Occupations where a highly-skilled workforce is retiring soon
Challenges motivating employees
Positions requiring skills that can be learned on the job
Difficulty attracting new and more diverse talent pools.

Apprenticeships Include

Technical Sales

1-year program, 2,000 hours
Focus on Sales and Technology
Registered with USDOL
156 Sales Classroom Hours
25 Online Hours

Industrial Manufacturing Production Technician (IMPT)

1.5 Year Program
2,736 Hours of On-the-Job Training
264 Hours of Related Technical Instruction
Registered with USDOL
Foundational Manufacturing Program
4 MSSC Credentials
Food IMPT option available

See all the US DOL Registered Apprenticeship Programs in one place.

For manufacturers looking to upskill their workforce, the NJMEP Apprenticeship program is an ideal solution. For businesses interested in locating new workers to join their ranks, reach out to a Pro-Action Education Network™ professional today and learn about the talent pipeline NJMEP is creating for New Jersey Manufacturers.

Orientation to Apprenticeship – A Guide for Educators

Industrial professions continue to wrestle with a stigma. The only solution is to educate the public on what a manufacturing career can offer. A critical component of NJMEP’s Pro-Action Education Network™ is educating the educators. Educators include school administration as well as parents. Parents and teachers hold an incredible amount of influence over the decisions their children make when it comes to their future careers.

There are plenty of benefits when it comes to guiding students toward an apprenticeship.
They can earn industry-recognized credentials while accumulating no debt.
Compensation is higher in manufacturing when compared to other entry-level positions.
Hands-on training and experience is a marketable skill set and provides secure employment.

And this is just the start…

Registered Apprenticeship Programs even stack up against college programs. There are even similarities that high schools and parents may not have realized.

Both are regulated and accredited or registered with governmental agencies
Apprenticeships must adhere to industry-recognized standards; many college programs do, too
Apprentices and college program graduates receive a recognized, certificate or degree
Apprenticeship and college instructors are credentialed craftsmen
Both will have competitive entrance requirements

Parents and educators understand manufacturing has come incredibly far over the past two decades. Manufacturing is an advanced industry, making use of innovative and transformative technologies. Benefits and compensation are competitive with nearly every other industry.

Make your Future – New Jersey’s Manufacturing Industry

Many people entering the workforce might not know that the manufacturing industry is a viable source of employment. The industry has largely been ignored by high schools and conversations with parents. These jobs are available, especially in the United States. These are jobs where people can create and innovate. These opportunities offer competitive salaries and great benefits. People in manufacturing make a difference in New Jersey and the rest of the world.

Over the next decade, New Jersey will need to fill more than 250,000 manufacturing jobs. Many will go unfilled because people don’t have the right skills and employers can’t locate qualified workers. The manufacturing workforce in New Jersey employs over 1 million people and 30% of those are women. There are more than 16,000 manufacturers and STEM firms which has a $49 billion impact on the economy. The average annual salary for a manufacturing worker is $92,046 and over 80% of the 1 million manufacturers currently employed are ages 45-65 years old.

As the current workforce nears retirement, employers are actively seeking individuals with the right skills and knowhow to contribute to their business. As high schools eliminate shop classes, it has been incredibly difficult for students to acquire the skills these employers need. NJMEP’s Pro-Action Education Network™ is ready to bridge this skills gap.

The USDOL Registered Apprenticeship Program offered by NJMEP’s Pro-Action Education Network™ gives employers the opportunity to higher individuals based on drive and train them to fit their manufacturing operations.

If manufacturers need new workers but can’t find people with exactly the right skill set, a Registered Apprenticeship program is the best option.