The Chatfield Group is helping TMA strengthen its partnership with Northern Illinois University College of Engineering & Engineering Technology (CEET) in order to support professional technical skills development and to gain access to talented new hires for TMA members. TMA, Illinois’ Premier Tooling & Manufacturing Association, hosted a table at the CEET Spring Job Fair with the support of TMA volunteers Chuck Klingler, Janler VP, and Patsy Svare, President of the Chatfield Group.

Patsy and Chuck spoke with more than 50 students who stopped by with resumes in hand. They talked up TMA as a 1,000-member association with great jobs for engineers. Said Chuck, “Just about anything being manufactured today has some connection to Chicago-area manufacturing companies. The best of those companies are members of TMA.”

The NIU CEET students are on their way to bachelors or masters degrees in the following majors:

• Electrical Engineering
• Industrial & Systems Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Technology

All of them are interested in employment as summer interns or as full-time employees; some expressed interest in jobs that continue through the school year. The students were encouraged to post their resumes on the TMA Job Board (accessible via TMAnet.com). In addition, the entire stack of resumes is available to TMA members electronically.

Businesses must make a commitment to engaging the future workforce. By hiring a new grad or a summer intern, you help a new professional gain practical manufacturing experience that grounds their education in workplace realities. For students who are undecided about going into manufacturing, a positive first work experience can make all the difference.

Just as importantly, your company will gain by investing in the training of our future professionals. Your current employees can serve as an experienced mentor and demonstrate their expertise to an eager new employee. Your current employees can learn some of the latest ideas being taught in engineering school. And, your current employees can adopt a sense of excitement about the future from interacting with a new professional.

Tags: Workforce Planning — Recruiting — Interviewing — Training — Employee Engagement

Dear Workforce:

Because we don’t have a performance-development plan in place, individual workers never get feedback on their performance and have few development and training opportunities. How do we ensure the long-term profitability of our company, especially since many employees will soon retire and those remaining lack the necessary skills/training to succeed them?

-- Bedeviled bureaucrat, government, Pretoria, South Africa

Dear Bedeviled Bureaucrat:

Employees everywhere value performance feedback. Without training and development opportunities, they get frustrated and bored. Making matters worse, the workforce changes that are coming in the next decade--with baby boomers retiring in droves--will create a brain drain like none we’ve ever seen. Unless you get a handle on your talent requirements, it will be hard for your company to remain profitable over the long term.

It’s time to implement a sound talent-management process. Think about taking the following key steps:
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Tags: Dear Workforce — Performance Reviews — Training — Performance — Employee Retention

Dear Workforce:

What are the elements of a good internship model? We are trying to create one from scratch. Any insights on how to design our selection process and accompanying training programs would be especially helpful.

—Starting From Scratch, HR consultant, services, Sydney, Australia

Dear Starting From Scratch:

Internships are a popular way to attract new talent to your organization, with some estimates showing about one-fourth of all new hires from campuses are sourced through employers' own internship programs. In a tight talent market, a strong internship program can be a significant way to attract new hires.

It also provides many benefits to the interns selected. Students know that a successful internship can be the ticket to a great job. And the relationships built during an internship can be the basis of a professional network that helps launch a successful career.

Once you've decided to use interns in your organization, it is important to take the time to carefully plan for an effective program. Here are the key elements you should consider:
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Tags: Dear Workforce — Training — Recruiting — New Hire Onboarding

Dear Workforce:

I recently hired 11 new people, and unlike previous new hires, I used a different set of trainers to get the new employees up to speed. My new employees are doing great now; however, I’d like to assess the performance of my trainers from the perspective of a new hire. What resources are available (such as a survey) that I could use to measure the effectiveness of the training provided?

--Happy Hiring Manager, telecommunications, Newark, New Jersey

Dear Happy Hiring Manager:

Assessing your training programs could help you determine its value and may give your trainers helpful feedback regarding their facilitation skills. The new employees’ reaction to the trainer can affect their mindset about the company. When evaluating training programs, keep in mind the following question: What is the goal of the training, and to what extent is this goal being met? You may discover a need to assess training on multiple levels, ranging from the reactions of trainees to the impact of the training on business results. Consider using the four-level structure outlined by Donald Kirkpatrick in his book Evaluating Training Programs.
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Tags: Dear Workforce — Metrics — Training