Manufacturing Skills Certification: A New Fast Track for Regional Innovation (cont.)

Benefits to companies

The skills gap is a major barrier to innovation. A 2005 Deloitte Touche survey of 500 technology CEOs reported that the “main barrier to growth is finding, hiring and retraining qualified people to support technology companies’ ambitious growth goals.” From the company perspective, the MSSC assessment and certification system will:

• Enhance the attractiveness and professionalism of manufacturing jobs, thereby aiding manufacturers in securing employee motivation and retention;

• Provide a diagnostic tool for manufacturers to assess the level of critical skills and knowledge in their present workforce;

• Increase ROI for training by targeting training to only the most critical job-related success factors (the “must know” and “must do”);

• Decrease recruitment costs by providing a certification credential manufacturers can use in the applicant screening process;

• Assist manufacturers in selecting workers with higher levels of productivity, responsiveness and competitiveness; and

• Build a stronger national pipeline of motivated and qualified workers coming out of public, private and industry-based education and training providers.

At present, manufacturers are hard-pressed to realize benefits of this magnitude. For example, 80 percent of manufacturers still report a shortage of qualified workers and 78 percent cite failures in education and training systems as the cause. Only 17 percent of Americans graduate with science or technology majors, while the average among industrialized states is 27 percent (52 percent in China and 34 percent in Korea).

MSSC certification also articulates well with specialized national certifications in specific occupations and advanced industrial skill areas, such as certifications by the American Chemical Society, the Society of Plastics Industries, the National Institute of Metalworking Skills and the American Welding Society. Thus there is a smooth career pathway for individuals wishing to move from foundational skills into more specialized areas.

An example from the automotive sector

A good example of the kind of system that MSSC is putting into place can be found in the automotive repair arena. In response to customer demands in the 1970s for more reliable service, the Big Three automakers supported the development of a national certification system.With their support, a nonprofit foundation developed the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification system. As a result, “ASE” logos are found in automotive repair facilities everywhere in the nation.

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