Jennifer McNelly, President, Manufacturing Institute

David DeLong, David DeLong & Associates

Moderated by Steve Yurek, President and CEO,

Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute

Is Your Association Doing Enough to

Close the Skills Gap?

National Leadership & Local Action

As a Blueprint for Effective Collaboration

Panel Discussion:

Jennifer McNelly, President

The Manufacturing Institute

David DeLong, Author

Lost Knowledge: Confronting the Threat of an Aging Workforce

© D.W. DeLong 2013

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What is the “Skills Gap”?

• ASTD: “...a significant gap between an organization’s

current capabilities & the skills it needs to achieve it’s

goals.”

• Deloitte/MI study: “...the gap between talent that

manufacturers need to keep growing their business

and what they can actually find.”

© D.W. DeLong 2013

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“Skills Gap”

...it’s more complicated than that!

• Company size defines scope of gap & resources to fix

• Geographic location

--rural vs. urban manufacturing sites

--proximity to training resources, e.g. community colleges

--competition from other employers, e.g. energy industry

• Types of roles

--skilled machinists & welders vs. chemists & quality engineers

• Types of skills needed

--generic, soft (e.g. communication, problem solving)

--specialized, technical, unique (e.g. pump design)

© D.W. DeLong 2013

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“Skills Gaps”

...more ways they differ!

• Skills gap impacts: single company vs. value chain

--e.g. HVACR needs 85K technicians to deliver products

• Length & cost of training to fill role

--months vs. several years

--standardized certification vs. highly-customized training

© D.W. DeLong 2013

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What are CMA Members Looking for

To Close the Skills Gap?

• Increase members’ sharing of solution “success stories”

• Seeking tactics/best practices to roll out

--How to communicate with schools & parents re mftring’s image

--Help members engage more effectively with community colleges

--How to create apprentice programs

• Leverage NAM programs

--e.g. adapt Skills Certification Program

• Think about more systemic solutions

--Get community college systems to coordinate

STEM-related curricula across state lines

• “Not my Association’s problem.”

© D.W. DeLong 2013

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Some “Relevant” Questions About the

Skills Gap to Increase Competitiveness

• Are critical SG’s emerging among our members’

customers or in the industry’s value chain?

• Do we know how much our members care about the

skills gap? What specific gaps (SG) do they have?

• How can our association provide short cuts to address SG?

• Does my staff have the skills needed to transfer knowledge

across generations to members?

• How are competitor associations addressing

SGs? Is there value integrating SG efforts with

competitors?

• Are technology changes among members,

customers, or regulators exacerbating impact

of skills gaps?

© D.W. DeLong 2013

Discussion

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© D.W. DeLong 2013

© D.W. DeLong 2013

© D.W. DeLong 2013

Discussion

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