Partnership provides on-site opportunities

Training aims to prepare students for workforce, addresses industry needs

As the Northeast Ohio manufacturing environment continues to grow, it faces an unusual hurdle in that it simultaneously faces a skills gap.

According to the United States Department of Labor, there were 513,000 job openings in the manufacturing sector in July, indicating that the gap of the jobs that need filled and the skilled talent to fill them is steadily widening.

Recognizing that the talent shortage has been an ongoing concern, Brian Bontempo, superintendent of Auburn Career Center, and Scott Balogh, president and CEO of Mar-Bal, Inc., based in Chagrin Falls, brought together manufacturing companies that are in need of skilled employees and schools that are looking for better ways to prepare their students for the workplace.

During the meeting, which took place in late October, they

introduced the concept of the Certified Production Technician program, the goal of which is to provide Certified Production Technician training opportunities on-site to the school districts that Auburn serves, and to allow students to explore manufacturing as a career path.

The program additionally gives students a taste of the hands-on manufacturing while teaching safety, quality practices and measurement, and manufacturing processes, production and maintenance awareness.

The regional manufacturing partnership is looking for program funding from the manufacturing community to provide the resources needed, Auburn reports.

To maximize resources, the program would also be offered to adult students in the evenings, where those who complete the training can obtain a 12-point credential.

“Through our research and workforce studies, we came to the conclusion that there is a workforce need, and Auburn can’t do it alone,” Bontempo said. “By partnering together, we have a better understanding of the needs of employers and school districts. This provides us with the unique opportunity to contribute to a collective strategy that will help bridge the gap and better position students for the workforce.

“It would be fantastic if we had the resources to assist all of our member districts.”

With the proper funding, Cardinal, Chardon and Painesville school districts are the early adopters, and the adult program would be slated to launch in the spring of 2020.

“Our task is to create as many opportunities as we

can for kids within a system that has really been built to serve one particular type of kid for a long time, and that’s a real challenge,” said Painesville Schools Superintendent Josh Englehart. “In order to provide the opportunities that we need to be able to build, that takes partnerships. Schools aren’t built to do it on their own. Right now is the time.”

According to a study published last year by the multinational professional services network Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, between 2018 and 2028, 4.6 million jobs will need to be filled, and the skills gap may leave an estimated 2.4 million positions unfilled.

The study also reveals that positions relating to digital talent, skilled production and operational managers may be three times as difficult to fill in the next three years.

“We’re here to develop the next generation of the manufacturing profession,” Balogh said. “That’s our role — we’re going to develop the best programs within our districts.”

Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted believes the only way to successfully prepare the state’s workforce and economy for the future is if employers and educators are continuously working together more closely.

“It is critical to success, in everything we do, to be more collaborative,” Husted said. “Those who collaborate best succeed most, where you take your talents and someone else’s talents and pull them together to do more as a group than you could individually. That is absolutely true when it comes to workforce development, the economy and (the) education of our state.”

For more information, contact Brian Bontempo at bbontempo@auburncc. org or Scott Balogh at scottb@mar-bal.com.

SUBMITTED Kevin Longenecker, an Auburn Advanced Manufacturing student from Berkshire, demonstrates the CNC machine to business leaders, school administrators and government representatives.