16 Jan 2021

“What if you don’t invest in training your workers, and they stay?” How to create a more efficient workforce

For The Manufacturers’ Association
on January 16, 2020 at 06:30 PM

Pennlive.com

The skills gap and worker shortage gripping the nation’s economy drives many employers to wonder, “What if I invest in training my workers, and they leave?”

The Manufacturers’ Association answers, “What if you don’t train, and they stay?” Based in York County since 1906 and covering a ten-county region here in the Mid-State, The Manufacturers’ Association offers affordable training and professional development solutions designed to meet the needs of South Central Pennsylvania’s diverse and vibrant business community.

The Manufacturers’ Association also regularly convenes business consortiums from York, Dauphin, Franklin, Adams, Lebanon, and Cumberland counties to forecast local trends and craft skill-building programs that target local needs. As research shows, high-quality training primes businesses to be more competitive, productive, and profitable. It encourages workers to stay with their employers while improving job satisfaction, performance, and workplace engagement.

The Manufacturers’ Association works directly with 400 member businesses, including some of South Central Pennsylvania’s most venerable employers, plus the members of seven industry-specific partnerships.

In 2018, The Manufacturers’ Association trained 2,000 people in the skills needed on factory floors and in offices. Training offerings include:

  • Apprenticeships: South Central Pennsylvania’s largest apprenticeship program produces well-rounded tradespeople through instructional, technical, and basic skill training conducted by skilled instructors including industry Journeymen. The Association offers a Machinist, Tool and Die, Maintenance Technician, Maintenance Mechanic, Mechatronics, Quality Technician and Industrial Manufacturing Technician apprenticeship programs.
  • Apprentices can earn college credit toward associate degrees at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology. In addition, The Manufacturers’ Association’s pre-apprenticeships and career exploration partnerships introduce young people to the fulfilling, well-paying jobs available in local manufacturing.
  • Company-specific: The Manufacturers’ Association customizes training to meet the distinct needs of individual businesses and sectors. Courses can be offered at businesses’ sites or at The Manufacturers’ Association’s training center in centrally located Emigsville, PA.
  • Public: Many programs from The Manufacturers’ Association are open to those with the drive to hone their skills and climb the career ladder.  Public courses are open to any business or individual and are held at locations all throughout South Central PA.  Public courses include offering such as: The Supervisor Series, CPR, HR Accredited Training, Electricity Trainings, PLC Trainings and a whole lot more.  One benefit of Association membership includes typical training rates that are up to 50% off the cost provided to the public. 

The Manufacturers’ Association’s state-of-the-art training center features three classrooms and a fully-equipped shop stocked with milling machines, lathes, and hands-on computer numerical control (CNC) programming stations. Students in such functions as CNC, robot programming and troubleshooting, and programmable logic controllers (PLC) learn the foundational skills they can build on in the workplace, for more efficient operations and fewer costly breakdowns and delays.

Experienced, highly qualified trainers run all courses, which serve the needs of a wide range of businesses. Supervisory training is especially popular, imparting leadership skills that apply across sectors, from industrial and manufacturing to retail and hospitality. Many courses count toward certifications, in such fields as HR, supply chain management, and logistics, transportation, and distribution.

The Manufacturers’ Association is a nonprofit offering affordable excellence. Association members receive considerable discounts on training. The Manufacturers’ Association also connects participating employers with Workforce and Economic Development Network of Pennsylvania (WEDnetPA) providers, for access to funding that offsets the costs of training. Some members have saved tens of thousands of dollars by choosing local training over out-of-state options, or as recipients of WEDnetPA funding.

The Manufacturers’ Association offers employers the confidence to invest in training that’s affordable, relevant, and results-driven. Solutions abound in The Manufacturers’ Association robust, evolving course offerings, or they can be customized for any workplace, in any sector.

Contact The Manufacturers’ Association at (717) 843-3891, office@mascpa.org, or visit mascpa.org to learn more about the array of training solutions designed to help business heighten their competitiveness in an ever-changing and challenging global economy. New technologies, new processes, and new materials are changing our industry at a pace not seen since the industrial revolution. If your upskilling strategy is struggling to keep up – we can help become a member today!