Any type of workforce skills gap is often the result of many forces that have evolved slowly over time, intertwining to create a complex social, political and economic problem.  Therefore, constructing arguments based on survey data (realistically, only a snapshot based entirely on perception) can be unreliable.  Both sides of the manufacturing skills gap argument have used survey data to frame their conclusions.

In the article, one of the authors even states this himself, “The claims and the data sets that are out there often don’t involve the direct measurement of skills, so people are looking at vacancy rates across the entire economy or all manufacturers,” he said. “There’s very little data in which people go in at the plant level and measure what skills U.S. workers need to have.”

How do you make conclusions about the hard skills of the US manufacturing workforce without actual skill data from US workers?

Since 1971, Scientific Management Techniques has been measuring and recording hard skill data using our Manufacturing Skills Assessment Programs across many manufacturing industries and geographical areas.   SMT’s assessments have been delivered millions of times over the course of this time period.  These programs utilize Validated, Hands-On, Performance-Based Assessment Machines that identify the most skilled, most capable, and most trainable candidates and incumbents.  In other words, our assessment programs directly quantify the hard skill levels of the manufacturing workforce.

From our decades of data, we have seen a sharp decline in overall assessment performance in the last 15 years.  We consistently hear about the struggles of manufacturers to find the right talent, and that is why they come to us for a solution.  Our manufacturing clients (such as Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive, Pfizer, Honda) deploy our Skills Assessment and Training Solutions because they know that without them, the impact of the skills gap to their bottom line would be significant enough to stifle productivity and profitability goals.

Clearly, we can assume the skills required by the manufacturing industry has not declined, and with the acceleration of technology and automation, they have in many areas increased.   With labor skills declining and the required skills increasing, a skills gap has developed.

This is not a judgement on the worthiness of the US workforce as one author states in the article.  This is the result of many socio-economic and political forces aligning against the manufacturing industry and the skills needed to see it thrive through the next century.

Of course, the solution required is multi-faceted, and certainly, coordinating supply with demand is at the heart of the issue. Outside of industry, SMT regularly partners with community colleges and workforce development initiatives to align their offerings to this goal.

If you are interested in more information about our Manufacturing Skill Programs or want to discuss skill data for your region or state, please contact me at ebarksdale@scientific-management.com.

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One of the most difficult tasks for hiring managers in the industrial space is getting a true read on the hard skill sets of job candidates. Difficulty finding qualified labor to fuel that growth threatens to negatively impact manufacturers well into the next decade.

A candidate can interview well, even post good scores on a pencil & paper test, but without physically putting their troubleshooting skills to the test, there is no real way to know what level of performance you are getting. Scientific Management Techniques, Inc. has developed a series of five, completely unique, validated Assessment Machines for exactly this purpose.

Our most widely used machine is the Standard Timing Model (STM); a mechanical assessment device used by many Fortune 500 manufacturers across the globe for over 40 years. The STM assessment protocol combines a series of standardized faults that the candidate then has to troubleshoot in order to achieve a time. This time can then be compared to others to create a ranking.

Testing Job Candidates

The STM has 3 primary applications when used in the hiring process:

• Maintenance level assessment: Identify and measure a “pre-existing” skill set for an experienced maintenance professional. Someone that will be productive immediately.
• Operator level assessment: Identify and measure a “pre-existing” skill set for an experienced/trained operator.
• Identify mechanical aptitude/instinct: in individuals you know have not been properly trained, or perhaps have never worked in a manufacturing environment. For this we administer the “operator level” assessment but have a different score expectation. Our clients use this capability when they are hiring individuals they know they will need to train. Someone with mechanical aptitude is significantly more trainable than someone with little to zero aptitude.

Testing Employees

Additionally, the STM and other Assessment Machines can help to quantify the skill sets of existing incumbent personnel. This could be done to:

• Deliver highly targeted training. This is essential to maximizing both financial and operational efficiency. The less time spent training, the less time spent away from normal job responsibilities.
• Training Post-Assessment: Gauge the effectiveness of training delivered.
• Target promotions or pay raises to those individuals with the most advanced sets of skills.

Most importantly, the ROI of SMT’s Assessment Program Exceeds 100% the first year of deployment. The assessment program stops the “bad hire”, those individuals that may interview well but you recognize quickly that he or she does not possess the skills they represented.

How many “bad hires” did you have last year? Over the last 5 years? What would the impact have been if all these hires were top performers? Turnover has hefty realized and unrealized costs. That is the impact the assessment program delivers.

SMT has over 35 validation studies and 40+ years of data proving the efficacy of the skills assessment program. It just flat out works, adding performance and profitability for any business unit that has deployed and used it according to our methodology.

There are four other skill assessment machines offered:

• Electrical Skills Test Device (ESTD)
• Programming Logic Control Test Device (PLCTD)
• Computer Numeric Control Test Device (CNC)
• Process Control Test Device (PCTD)

Identifying and measuring skills prior to hire is the single most effective means to insure a quality, highly productive hire in manufacturing.

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