Workforce 2015 - Building 21st Century Skills (Volume 2, Number 2) by Area Development

BUILDING 21ST CENTURY SKILLS

WORK

FORCE Q4/2015

Special Supplement to Area Development Magazine

WORKFORCE TRAINING

Creates “A Culture of Learning” PAGE 4

Initiatives to

UTILIZE THE SKILLS

of Returning Vets

PAGE 8

The Location Factor Companies Must

GET RIGHT PAGE 12

AREA0502.indd 1

26/11/15 5:21 PM

CONTENTS FEATURES

4. INVESTING IN WORKFORCE PAYS OFF Training provided by a state or community is valuable in bringing a workforce up to speed, but so is the creation of a “culture of learning” in an individual company.

EDITOR’S NOTE

ulfilling workforce needs is such an important concern for today’s advanced manufacturing and other companies requiring skilled employees that we have decided to address this issue in special biannual publications. Labor is the one factor that companies must get right, says Phil Schneider of Schneider Consulting. “While the type of workforce, the specific skills, and how many workers are needed changes with every project, the need for a highquality, sustainable workforce does not. And this need is not diminishing with technology — it is increasing,” he explains. Because of this, training provided by a state or community has become valuable in bringing a workforce up to speed, says Minah Hall of True Partners Consulting. What’s more, the creation of a “culture of learning” in an individual company is equally important. Workforce training benefits the community in which a company is located by providing a more marketable workforce with more diverse skills. One resource, in particular, is providing a win-win situation for both companies and their prospective employees, who happen to be veterans. Government and corporate initiatives are helping companies to utilize the skills of returning veterans to fill their need for qualified workers.

Finally, the profiles of the sponsoring organizations of this Workforce publication can be of further help to your company in satisfying its labor force requirements. With unemployment registering 5 percent in November 2015 — the lowest level in seven years — the pool of qualified workers is shrinking, and companies need to make the most of all resources available in order to compete in the years ahead.

A WIN-WIN FOR VETERANS & COMPANIES REQUIRING SKILLED WORKERS Government and corporate initiatives are helping companies to utilize the skills of returning veterans to fill their need for qualified workers.

12. THE LOCATION FACTOR COMPANIES MUST GET RIGHT

Sustainable success in attracting and retaining corporate business investment requires excellence across a range of location factors, but chief among them is workforce.

SPONSORS/PROFILES Alabama

13,19

ALABAMA ROBOTICS TECHNOLOGY PARK AHEAD OF THE CURVE Alabama Robotics Technology Park

rmaroney@aidt.edu http://www.alabamartp.org Florida

2, 20

CAPE CORAL POSITIONED FOR GROWTH IN 2016 City of Cape Coral, Florida

www.bizcapecoral.com ecodev@capecoral.net

21, 23 GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH FLORIDAFLEX

CareerSource

careersourceflorida.com Mississippi

5, 7, 9, 22

BUILDING A PRODUCTIVE AND SKILLED WORKFORCE IN MISSISSIPPI Editor

Mississippi Development Authority

www.mississippi.org bthompson@mississippi.org

©2015 Custom Publishing Group of Halcyon Business Publications, Inc., Publisher of Area Development Magazine PUBLISHER: Dennis J. Shea ART & DESIGN: Patricia Zedalis EDITOR: Geraldine Gambale PRODUCTION MANAGER: Jessica Whitebook FINANCE: Mary Paulsen PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Talea Gormican

ADVERTISING: Bill Bakewicz Valerie Krpata

DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER: Justin Shea BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Matthew Shea WEB DESIGNER: Carmela Emerson

BUSINESS SERVICES: Barbara Olsen

2015 • 3

INVESTING IN WORKFORCE PAYS OFF Training provided by a state or community is valuable in bringing a workforce up to speed, but so is the creation of a “culture of learning” in an individual company.

conomic volatility poses critical challenges to today’s enterprise and skilled workforce. An economic downturn may require a company to lay off a substantial percentage of its workforce, which negatively affects entire communities. In fact, the recent dramatic drop in oil prices has created an abundance of available workforce in many communities, as more than 200,000 oil-gas employees have been laid off worldwide as of October 2015. How can large employers and state and community leaders work together to put these people back to work, while at the same time attracting industry and investment? One answer may be to invest in education and training programs. In response to various labor issues, many states and large employers are working together to create programs to provide targeted workforce training. Working with educational institutions and industry-specific trade groups, businesses and state governments are attempting to train or re-train groups of workers in order to attract specific industries to their areas. This provides employers with a more knowledgeable, flexible, and transferable workforce, which in turn creates revenue for states.

Some Examples There is no better example than Georgia’s Quick Start program, which is the oldest program in the U.S. having trained over one million employees in more than 6,500 projects. Georgia’s success is largely due to the very close partnership between the company and the state, and since Georgia has always been in the forefront when it comes to tailoring the training unique to each company’s needs, it continues to be a shining star in a field that is starting to fill quickly with training and other education-focused programs. Louisiana has created a “Certification for Manufacturing” (C4M) as part of its FastStart training. This one-semester streamlined course By Minah Hall, Managing Director, True Partners Consulting LLC

4 • WORKFORCE

prepares students with certification within the field the state. The partnership between the University of of manufacturing. Upon completion of the program, Southern Mississippi and several advanced material graduates can interview for open positions or conmanufacturers in Hancock County led to the creation tinue their education. Alabama’s AIDT program is also promoting workforce growth through job training. Through AIDT, Alabama MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGES has built multiple training centers across the state in an effort to cluster/organize specific targeted industries. The state is covering all of its bases: • By sea, AIDT Maritime Training Center assists the maritime industry in the southern region; • By air, Alabama Aviation Training Center (AATC) WALLET HUB, 2015 provides training for the aerospace industry. AlaIN 2014, THE STATE’S COMMUNITY COLLEGES OFFERED bama recently invested $7 million for another aviation center at Mobile Aeroplex, which helped Airbus prepare a workforce for its newest aircraft assembly facility. and served more than • By land, various training centers help industries from forest-based and green biomaterials to construction. Additionally, Alabama has equipped 38 Mobile Training Units (MTUs) that are customized for specific company needs, as these units will travel to a comRanked #1 in the nation, Mississippi’s community college system pany’s location to provide works hand in hand with industries, helping them find, train and hire training. the right individuals. Assessment tools to quickly review applicants, Mississippi Works is uspre-employment training and customized training programs help ing a similar approach when ensure your success. Visit mississippi.org/workforce. training its existing and future workforce; by creating programs through partnerships with the local universities, Mississippi is advancing manufacturing activities in

RANKED 1 #

COMMUNITY COLLEGE

SYSTEM IN NATION

26,403

TRAINING CLASSES

550 COMPANIES WITH CUSTOMIZED TRAINING

CUSTOMIZED WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS IN MISSISSIPPI WORK

AREA0496.indd 1

2015 • 5

30/10/15 8:24 PM

Courtesy Georgia Quick Start

of the Mississippi PolyGeorgia is also ofmer Institute, which fering $500 per semesprovides not only rapid ter to students enrolled prototyping to manuand taking classes facturers throughout in one of 10 strategic the state, but also industries identified by technical training for Governor Deal’s High existing and future Demand Career InitiaA Caterpillar employee practices on the virtual welder at the workforces. tive. With an upcoming Athens, Ga., Quick Start Training facility. In South Carolina, January 2016 enrollthe ReadySC team is using their “3D Process”: ment window, the Strategic Industry Workforce Discovery, Design, and Delivery for training. ReadySC Development Grant program (combined with the use will work with a company to determine the skills of the HOPE scholarship program) will help students required for it to be successful, and will then specificover the remaining 25 percent of education costs cally design a training program to fit its needs, timnot currently covered by the HOPE program, thereby ing, process, and even culture. ReadySC will collaboproviding a tuition-free education leading to a new rate with the local technical college and the company career. to provide training for future employees demonFinally, we can’t forget about traditional training strating a commitment to the community. Recently, programs that may be just as effective for an existing through partnerships with Spartanburg Community workforce. Last year, Florida got back in the game College (SCC), manufacturing consortiums, manuwith its unified branding of CareerSource Florida. facturers, and ReadySC, students enrolled in the CareerSource is now promoting the FloridaFlex advanced manufacturing and industrial technologies training grant program (which was formerly known programs (such as the “mechatronics” program, as the state’s Quick Response Training program). which is a blend of mechanical, electrical, comThe 2015-2016 available budget for the FloridaFlex puter, hydraulics, pneumatics, robotics, and other program is $12 million, which will allow awarded manufacturing skills courses) were offered multiple companies the ability to use the funds for various job opportunities, sometimes prior to finishing their reimbursable expenses such as trainers’ salaries, programs. curriculum development, textbooks/manuals, among Two-year community or technical college proother costs. grams offer alternatives to students for whom a A Culture of Learning four-year bachelor’s education is not financially feaWhen establishing workforce assistance prosible. One such program gaining recent prominence grams, it is valuable to have a balanced program is the Tennessee Promise, which provides two-year, that allows for industry-specific training, while also tuition-free attendance at a community or techniproviding ongoing training for transferrable skills cal college in Tennessee. The Tennessee Promise across similar industries. Having effective trainprogram focuses on increasing the number of ing resources to cater to each individual company’s students attending college in Tennessee by providing workforce needs is a differentiating factor; however, students with tuition and fees not normally covered ensuring that employees are developing skills that by the Pell grant and the HOPE scholarship. The can be used across several similar industries should Promise scholarships may be used at any of Tennesnot fall by the wayside. With companies continuing see’s 13 community colleges, 27 colleges of applied to focus on available skilled workforce and worktechnology, or other eligible institutions offering an force development, communities that take a holistic associate’s degree program. An additional benefit approach to creating ongoing learning cultures will of the Tennessee Promise is that the program also benefit by being more prepared to face unexpected mandates required mentoring meetings, eight hours economic challenges or changes in an area’s tarof community service for each enrolled term, as well geted industries. as minimum GPA maintenance. 6 • WORKFORCE

And sometimes a lack of an available workforce benefits the local community by providing a more creates a learning environment. Training has always marketable workforce with more diverse manubeen a vital part of any company’s success; by creatfacturing skills. ing a learning culture, a company may be able to establish deep roots in a community. Some companies are shifting away from hiring specific skillsets and focusing on creating an ongoing learning culture based on training to have skills available when necessary. Take for example a preUNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI’s cision device manufacturing company that initially trains its employees on a specific part of the manuMISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY facturing process; once the employees’ specific ADVANCED manufacturing position’s VEHICULAR at the UNIVERSITY OF skills are mastered, the SYSTEMS SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI employee is then trained on the process immediately before and after the one ASSURE - MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY’s FAA he/she performs. Thus, the company’s employees are capable of filling in if an employee performing the process immediately before or after the one he/ she performs is unable to work. The additional training on other processes has multiple benefits. Not only does additional From cutting-edge research to new industry skills, Mississippi‘s 8 public training benefit the emuniversities equip our workforce to help companies remain globally ployee (by potentially alcompetitive. These universities offer ABET-accredited degree programs lowing for overtime hours in 15 different engineering fields, and the state is home to four renowned in other roles), it enables the company to provide a research institutions. Visit mississippi.org/workforce. continuity of manufacturing processes to ship a finished product without delays. The additional employee training also

RASPET FLIGHT RESEARCH LABORATORY AT MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS

INNOVATION-DRIVEN R&D IN MISSISSIPPI WORKS

AREA0497.indd 1

2015 • 7

30/10/15 8:26 PM

n the next five years, between 1 and 1.5 million members of the U.S. Armed Forces will leave the military, according to the Department of Defense. Many of these veterans will be seeking new careers; by a great margin, veterans cite finding employment as their number-one need when returning home. And here’s another statistic: a 2012 report by the consulting firm of Deloitte noted 600,000 jobs that have gone unfilled at U.S. manufacturers because of a shortage of skilled workers. Veterans need careers, and manufacturers need high-quality employees. Fortunately, in recent years, a number of training programs and hiring initiatives have been developed to address those two needs.

National Initiatives One of the biggest efforts to train veterans for manufacturing careers is Get Skills To Work, launched in 2012 by four of the largest U.S. manufacturers, the Washington, D.C.-based Manufacturing Institute, and other partners, in order to train military veterans for careers in advanced manufacturing (http://www.fasttrackforheroes.org/industry/ manufacturing). By earlier this year, Get Skills to Work had prepared or placed more than 100,000 veterans for manufacturing careers. Small, medium, and large manufacturing companies are involved, along with about 50 community colleges, where vets can use their GI Bill benefits to pay for training. The program brings together manufacturers and educators to train veterans for “a high-tech career track, not just a job,” says AJ Jorgenson, director of Communications for the Manufacturing Institute in Washington, D.C. “Initiatives such as Alcoa’s veterans employment playbook and By Dan Emerson

8 • WORKFORCE

Cooper Standard’s partnership with Macomb Comtion Assistance program, based at Fort Knox, in munity College [Michigan] are strategic approaches Kentucky. In Louisville, a group of business and govto help close the manufacturing skills gap, while ernment leaders has created the Where Opportunity supporting veterans to train for and obtain in-demand manufacturing careers,” Jorgenson notes. Another major initiative is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) job fairs. As part of the Chamber’s Hiring 500,000 Heroes collaboration with Capital One, the program surpassed the 500,000 veteran and military spouse hire mark in June, according to spokesperson Susie Schoenberger. More than 2,000 companies have pledged to hire 707,000 veterans and spouses. Along with stateside job fairs, HOH has also held recruitment events in Germany, Italy, and Asia, according to Eric Eversole, executive director of Hiring Our HeDan Bednarzyk, Nissan V.P. for Total Delivered Cost roes, and a vice president at the U.S. Chamber. In 2015, HOH also held 17 Transition Summits on military bases across the country and overseas. “Manufacturing is such a natural destination for so many young service members, because Mississippi’s highly skilled workforce is its greatest treasure. it provides real, long-term economic opportunity for Mississippians have a “can-do” attitude and are driven by pride them and their families,” to do things right. Robust workforce training programs offered explains Eversole.

MADE IN MISSISSIPPI IS A STAMP OF QUALITY WORLDWIDE. MISSISSIPPIANS WORK

State and Regional Initiatives

throughout the state equip Mississippi’s people with the necessary skills to get the job done. Visit mississippi.org/workforce.

Between 2013 and 2016, 480,000 U.S. Army veterans will leave the military and go through the Army’s Transi-

AREA0498.indd 1

2015 • 9

30/10/15 8:29 PM

Knox initiative, a workforce development program that aims to connect veterans and their spouses with employers in the area. The initiative is managed by the Kentucky Indiana Exchange (KIX), an organization comprised of leaders from Kentucky and Indiana focused on creating a regional workforce. KIX and its managing partners — Greater Louisville Inc., One Southern Indiana (a regional economic development organization), and the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce — created Where Opportunity Knox, hoping to connect 10,000 veterans and their spouses with available jobs in the Louisville area within three years. Since it’s estimated that about 70 percent of jobs are filled through networking, one of its functions is to help individual vets build their civilian networks, according to Eileen Pickett, the group’s economic development adviser. Through the first two quarters of the program’s first year, 1,445 veterans have been hired in the Greater Louisville region. “These jobs span the economy from manufacturing to health to logistics and more,” Pickett says. More than 130 companies are participating employers in the Where Opportunity Knox program, and there are more than 35 Veteran Network Builders in the area who are sharing their civilian networks with transitioning veterans. “We view this as not just the right thing to do for people who have served, but also as an economic development strategy,” Pickett says. “We’re trying to build a pipeline for transitioning vets, and working with local employers to help them understand the potential value vets can bring, and tap into that great talent.” Another regional initiative is the state of Iowa’s Home Base Iowa (HBI), launched in November 2013 as a public-private partnership to match military veterans with promising career opportunities across the state. To advance these efforts, the Iowa Business Council pledged a goal of 2,500 veterans hired by its member companies and institutions no later than December 31, 2018. According to Elliott Smith, executive director of the Iowa Business Council, through the first three quarters of its second year, the program had served more than 1,600 veterans or their spouses, with manufacturing accounting for about 20 percent of that total. IBC is less than 900 away from its stated goal of 2,500. 10 • WORKFORCE

There has been a “noticeable slowdown” in the pace of hiring around Iowa, and in certain manufacturing segments, so Smith expects the numbers to climb at a more modest pace for the next quarter or two. But he still expects IBC will exceed its goal by late 2016 or early 2017. Major manufacturers participating have included HNI Corp., Kent Corp., Pella Corp., Rockwell Collins, Deere & Co., Vermeer Corp., and Wells Enterprises.

Corporate Initiatives A number of individual corporations have also mounted efforts to train and place vets in manufacturing jobs. Several years ago, Saginaw, Mich.-based Merrill Technologies Group launched the Merrill Institute to train welders for manufacturing. Merrill Institute is located in Alma, Mich., inside of Merrill Fabricators, a Merrill Technologies Group business unit. Since 2011, the institute has trained 56 veterans, nearly all of whom have found employment with Merrill or other companies, according to Jason North, manager of Operations and Industrial Training at the Merrill Institute. North says, “Vets are wonderful employees. They are a very disciplined and respectful workforce. We don’t have to worry about basic, employee-performance issues like attendance or showing up late.” The Merrill Institute is working with the Michigan Workforce Development Agency to become approved for the training of Veterans under Title 38 U.S.C. The change will allow Veterans to use their GI Bill for the training and certification program at the Merrill Institute. According to North, “We have several veterans who have been waiting for this opportunity, and we are hoping to announce this and approval before the end of this year. “ In addition, Washington, D.C.-based Siemens PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) USA has developed the Veterans Initiative Program, offering free training in computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, and PLM software. The program provides scholarships to cover the cost of instructorled training classes executed at its Siemens PLM Software universities. Last year, 26 veterans took Continued on page 17

Vital. Useful. Updated Daily. The best information on site selection and facility planning available online • Current News: Real estate & industry news, and economic indicator reports updated throughout the day • Valuable Resources: Tax and incentive information, development contacts, and insightful surveys • Latest Studies, Research,

White Papers:

Aggregated from the top consultants, think tanks and institutions, and distilled into usable information • Reviewable Archives: Search the Area Development archives for content, opinion, and reports spanning the last five years from the top industry minds

Visit – www.areadevelopment.com

Providing What Others Don’t

THE LOCATION FACTOR COMPANIES MUST GET RIGHT Sustainable success in attracting and retaining corporate business investment requires excellence across a range of location factors, but chief among them is workforce.

n over 25 years of assisting companies with their location strategy and site selection decisions, I have been privileged to work on hundreds of projects across industries, functions, and countries. As part of these projects, I have directly interacted with economic development and investment promotion organizations working to attract companies and business investment to their areas. During these interactions, I have observed that these organizations typically employ one of two primary methods to attract new investment: First, they target companies, along with their site selection consultants, within specific industries that they hope match their economic strengths and then embark upon pursing them through direct marketing campaigns, armed with promotional materials and often various incentives, specialized real estate, etc. Secondly, they actively develop and maintain a business and living environment that nurtures businesses already there and future start-ups, providing a medium for them to grow and prosper, which, in turn, they hope attracts new investment that is enticed by that business climate. The first approach, extremely common domestically and abroad, assumes that if only locating companies and their consultants knew of and more about them, they could be convinced of their suitability, which would, in turn, lead to the creation of jobs and investment. While this can happen, this approach further assumes that companies and their consultants don’t already have this information or cannot readily obtain it when needed for a specific location project. And, if it turns out that the area actually does not have very well-matched conditions, this approach appears to further assume that if a dialogue could be started with the company, it could somehow still be convinced — or induced — to invest anyway. The second approach assumes that if an area possesses or creates, and then works hard to maintain, a good business and living environment, existing local and start-up companies will thrive and invest, which will eventually become known to other companies and their consultants, who By Phil Schneider, Schneider Consulting, LLC

12 • WORKFORCE

AREA0532.indd 1

15/12/15 8:00 PM

The Private Sector

Educational Institutions

The Workforce

A Sustainable, Flexible Workforce

Local & State Governments

Social Institutions

STAKEHOLDERS PULLING TOGETHER will want to learn more. If these companies then discover that the area business environment does indeed match their needs and would likely make their business more prosperous, the area will be on their short-list for future jobs and capital investment decisions.

A Desirable Business Environment While you may surmise that I find the second approach much more tenable, the point is that, in either method, to actually successfully attract new business investment — or even retain what’s already there — any economy has to have the right environment — or very close to it — already in place. The critical prerequisite — the foundation for sustainable growth and prosperity — is creating and maintaining an attractive business and living environment, one where the types of companies and businesses an area wants and needs can prosper. So what is the business environment that companies want? In my experience, while there is a set of fairly common or similar needs that are typically of higher importance to most location projects, there is no one answer to this question. Every sector, 14 • WORKFORCE

every industry, every company, and every project is different. The world, its places, and the companies themselves are constantly changing and evolving. New technologies — and competitors — emerge, and in turn, processes and products transform; this, in turn, changes the dynamics of a company’s locational requirements. For example, in the 19th century and through the first half of the 20th, immediate or close proximity to a port was a critical advantage for larger-scale, exporting manufacturers. As the rail system continued to expand and improve, immediate proximity to a port became less critical, as long as the company had good rail access and service. Then, in the 1950s, with the advent of the interstate highway system and ubiquitous extension of quality highways near centers of commerce, access to rail for all manufacturing became less important, supplanted by the need for suitable highway access with trucking service. This further evolved for some industries to the need for proximity to superior air cargo service, and then again to the need for superior broadband service. A similar evolution occurred in utilities, real estate, and business services.

Constantly Changing Workforce Requirements

“

The need for a highquality workforce is increasing with technology.

However, perhaps the most important evolution in site selection has been constantly changing workforce requirements. In the first half of the 20th century, the need for large numbers of lower-skilled, less educated laborers was supplanted by the need for moderately trained, semi-skilled workers; this was followed by a need for highly trained, experienced, and skilled workers, and then highly educated, experienced, skilled, and technical labor. And now, in today’s business world, the majority of the workforce is expected to essentially be knowledge workers, adaptable to constantly evolving technology and requirements, and lifelong learning.

Today’s companies require — and expect — a blend of strengths across multiple economic variables and factors, and their recipe for that blend is always evolving, even when it is a similar project for the same company, just a few years down the road. But throughout this ever-shifting landscape of corporate site selection needs, there is one common denominator that the vast majority of companies and site selection projects demand — the need and expectation for a superior workforce. The availability, quality, sustainability, flexibility, and cost of the workforce is the most common critical location factor; it may not always be the number-one factor in the decision model, but is nearly always in the top five. While the type of workforce, the specific skills, and how many workers are needed changes with every project, the need for a high-quality, sustainable workforce does not. And this need is not diminishing with technology — it is increasing. This is not to say that other factors such as market access, robust infrastructure, and effective governance aren’t also important to nearly all location projects — they are. But in my experience, workforce is the undisputed champion of location factors. If an area has to get one thing right, it is workforce. To get it wrong is fatal and will put an economy into a death spiral.

A “Good” Workforce

What constitutes a “good” workforce? While the definition of a good workforce naturally differs by industry, function, and project, there are common traits, such as: • A deep and sustainable pool of educated, trained, and experienced workers in industries or fields relevant to the companies • A diverse range of skills to staff needs across a broad range of corporate functions and project types • A creative and innovative talent pool, with a proven ability to conceive of and develop new products, processes, and services, along with the ability to make constant small improvements to existing processes • A demonstrated flexibility to adapt to new processes and technologies, and willingness to engage in lifelong learning and training • A shared goal for constant quality and productivity improvement Areas that already possess and maintain a workforce with these qualities do exist, and site selectors make it their business to find them, but unfortunately they are not the norm and seem to be increasingly rare as demographics change and technologies evolve. This is for understandable reasons: getting the workforce right requires a lot of hard work, investment, and time. Developing a superior workforce does not happen overnight and requires a neverending effort.

Stakeholders Pulling Together Creating a sustainable, flexible, evolving workforce requires a number of stakeholders to pull together — for the long run. It cannot be the responsibility of one entity, organization, or institution. Five pillars of the area economy need to come together with a common goal and vision to develop and maintain the modern workforce:

The Private Sector: The private sector must embrace its increasingly necessary role in the ongo2015 • 15

“

Addressing the skills gap in the local market is becoming a feasible option.

ing education and training of the local workforce. Only the employers truly know how skills are evolving in their business, and only companies can provide the necessary data and feedback to other stakeholders on changing skill needs. Most medium- to large-sized companies now understand that demographics — the inevitable “gray tsunami” of retiring skilled workers without adequate numbers in the generation behind them — are forcing this issue upon them. They are well aware of how constant technology and process improvements quickly make past training obsolete. They are also learning that for many, if not most, of their operations, they cannot simply continue to chase elusive pockets of skills around the world and still effectively service widespread domestic and global markets without also absorbing everincreasing supply-chain cost and overall business risk. Addressing the skills gap in the local market is rapidly becoming the more feasible option.

Educational Institutions: The U.S. economy can no longer afford the disconnect and lack of synergy between the worlds of academia and business. Too many students, burdened with enormous education debt, graduate without skills — both technical and soft — that match the actual needs of companies looking for new employees. To address workforce shortages and student needs for a viable economic future, universities and technical/vocational/community colleges must link arm-in-arm with business in the joint mission of developing a relevant, flexible, and sustainable workforce. Universities can learn from the responsiveness of the vocational colleges to business needs, while the vocational colleges can learn from the research depth and technical rigor of the universities. Both can learn from companies about ever-changing skill requirements driven by technology and global competition. In addition, primary and secondary institutions — where the development of creativity and innovation, as well as soft and technical skills, should 16 • WORKFORCE

begin — need to become partners in the process as part of the continuum of education and training.

Local and State Governments: While state and local governments have long played a direct role in workforce development and in subsidizing education and direct training grants for new and expanding companies, they will need to become more direct partners with business and educational institutions to develop effective and efficient policies that encourage and reward real skills development (as opposed to just rewarding “jobs”). Incentives can be re-worked so that they specifically reward advanced skills training and development that improves the quality of the local workforce. New incentives may need to be developed that target individual skillsets and the workers that have them, as opposed to only incentivizing the companies that may employ them. Developing a sustainable advancedskills workforce may require the incentivizing of the critical skills themselves so that they are developed, attracted, and retained in the community.

The Workforce: Workers themselves must accept that their own prosperity will require lifetime learning to meet the needs of continually evolving skills and capabilities. Workers can no longer afford to rest on past education, training, and experiences and will need to participate in ongoing education to ensure economic viability. Labor unions and associations will need to stop trying to protect the status quo and the jobs of yesterday, and fully embrace and partner with business and educational institutions on the development of the flexible, innovative, and employable worker of the future.

Social Institutions: The challenge in today’s world with tackling expensive, long-term structural problems like the constant re-tooling of the U.S. workforce, is that key stakeholders — namely government and companies — have inherent characteris-

tics that limit their ability to effectively maintain the momentum and constant focus on a problem that may take 10 or more years to fix. U.S. governments are finding it increasingly difficult to act on expensive projects at all, especially those that will not be realized until well after the next electoral cycle. The private sector has an overriding fiduciary responsibility to its shareholders to look after its own interests and near-term returns. To sustain the training, re-tooling, and constant refreshing of the workforce, new partners will need to be brought to the table — namely, entities that have the mission and ability to focus on and invest in the solving of long-term problems. Many not-for-profits and philanthropic institutions already have a stated mission to work with the less fortunate or the casualties of the economy. The rapid changes in skills requirements have created many such casualties in the U.S. workforce. The longstanding mission of these organizations, along with

their long-term view of problem-solving, could be reconfigured and brought to bear to help develop and manage sustainable, long-term workforce development investments. These institutions may be more adept and willing than traditional stakeholders at developing and funding strategies that go beyond the currently skilled, capable, educated, and immediately employable workers, and help invest in those who, for whatever reason, do not have or no longer have the required skills to make them economically viable in today’s economy and are, therefore, now an ongoing cost, as opposed to a contributor, to the economy and society. In today’s hypercompetitive world, our economies cannot afford to lose the productivity, creativity, or innovation of large blocks of society, particularly in light of the coming global demographic tidal wave and relentless evolution of technology and its skill requirements.

A Win-Win for Veterans Continued from page 10

advantage of the training. In 2015, Siemens has offered 47 classes at eight training centers across the U.S., according to company spokesperson Kate Eby. In 2016, Siemens officials want to increase the number of veterans who take advantage of the company’s training programs, says Diane Ryan, the Siemens PLM Veterans ERG (Employee Resource Group) leader. The Veterans ERG’s goal is to not only promote employment opportunities at Siemens, but also elsewhere within the industry, Ryan says. Siemens is also “committed to helping other training opportunities for veterans within local communities,” says Ryan, a veteran of the U.S. Army who served eight years as a SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) Analyst, Russian Linguist.

Changing Perceptions Hiring Our Heroes’ Executive Director Eversole

offers some advice for manufacturers hoping to source veterans as talent. He notes that an outdated perception of manufacturing as a low-skill occupation still exists, in spite of the fact that nearly all manufacturing jobs now require hightech skills. “It’s really key for manufacturers to think about how to sell their industry as a long-term, viable economic opportunity for these young service members,” Eversole says. “If you ask a veteran, ‘Do you want to be in manufacturing?’ a percentage will say ‘I’m not going to work in a factory.’ I would ask a slightly different question: ‘Do you want to work with robots, lasers, and high-tech machinery?’ There’s a natural opportunity there (for veterans) because manufacturing is set up a lot like the military: both involve a career progression of learning.”

2015 • 17

FacilityLocations.com

Find the Right Location for Your Next Business Site, Facility or Headquarters FacilityLocations is a GIS map-driven, online economic development directory used to research potential locations during the business re-location or expansion process.

DISCOVER Search and identify potential site and facility locations within big, easy-to-navigate, GIS-driven maps

RESEARCH Drill-down into location profile pages: • Google Streetview and Bing Bird’s Eye Imagery • Heat Maps and Data Layers • Downloadable Point-and-Click Radius Demographics Reports • Available Property Listings and Key RE Assets

CONNECT A directory with 6000+ listings including: • Local and Regional Economic Development Contacts • Port Authority Contacts • Utility Contacts • Foreign Trade Zone Contacts • Foreign Inward Investment Contacts If you are an economic development agency and want to have an enhanced listing with a location profile on FacilityLocations.com, please contact Dennis Shea at 800.735.2732 x 208 or dshea@areadevelopment.com

Alabama Robotics Technology Park Ahead of the Curve

Rick Maroney Project Manager Alabama Robotics Technology Park 6505 U.S. Hwy. 31 Tanner, AL 35671 256-642-2600 rmaroney@aidt.edu http://www.alabamartp.org

THE AIDT ALABAMA ROBOTICS TECHNOLOGY PARK (RTP) in North Alabama is one of the most innovative training centers in the country. Workers from manufacturers all over Alabama train on the latest robots and automation tools. The park currently consists of two buildings, with a third scheduled to have its Grand Opening in the first quarter of 2016. The first training center opened in November 2010. The Robotic Maintenance Training Center is dedicated to teaching technicians to work with and operate on the leading industrial robotics and automation software in the world. The highlight of the facility is the manufacturing floor, which consists of more than 30 industrial robots, an automated welding lab, and a mock-up automated manufacturing line used to explain the purpose of robots in manufacturing to students. Phase II of the Alabama RTP is the 43,000-square-foot Advanced Technology and Research Development center. Think of this facility as a cutting-edge R&D facility focusing entirely on high-end robotics and automation projects. Some of the early companies involved in Phase II are creating and testing robotics for military and civilian applications as well as first responder needs. In some instances, the 9/10mile test track can be used for testing drone take-offs and landings as well as remote-control mine searchers.

19 • WORKFORCE

Phase III consists of the Integration, Entrepreneurial and Paint/Dispense Center, and is scheduled to have its Grand Opening in the first quarter of 2016. This facility will allow companies to train in manual paint spraying techniques and robotic dispense training. In addition to the three buildings, the Alabama RTP also has a Mobile Robotic Training Lab, a 53-foot semi-trailer outfitted with the latest and greatest in robotics and automation, which is used by RTP and its partners as an instructional tool to create an awareness and interest within the community for the development of a skilled industrial robotic workforce. Since its debut in June 2013, over 150,000 kids have explored the RTP Mobile Robotics Training Lab. The RTP is just one of the many incentives Alabama has to offer when it comes to landing economic development projects. “With new companies moving to and existing companies expanding in Alabama, AIDT is continuously upgrading its services as a training organization,” says AIDT’s Executive Director Ed Castile. “By staying on top of new technologies and advanced production processes, AIDT is able to keep producing a highly skilled, well-trained workforce and keep our clients safe, productive, and profitable. We will continue to find ways to be innovative in our approach to training, developing, and recruiting the workforce these industries require.”

Cape Coral Positioned for Growth in 2016

Economic Development Office City of Cape Coral, Florida 1015 Cultural Park Boulevard Cape Coral, Florida 33990 (239) 574-0444 Toll Free: (866) 573-3089 www.bizcapecoral.com ecodev@capecoral.net

Cape Coral, Florida, is known as a paradise for people who enjoy living and boating on the water. The city boasts more than 400 miles of canals.

RANKED AMONG THE BEST PLACES TO LIVE and do business, and located in the tax-friendly state of Florida, Cape Coral is a top contender for corporate relocations and business expansions for companies worldwide. You don’t have to take our word for it. An ideal, year-round climate, affordable real estate, and competitive cost of living have drawn national attention. Forbes magazine reports that the Cape Coral metro area is No. 3 nationwide for projected job growth (Moody’s Analytics, 2015). The Cape also continues to rank in the top 10 places to start a new business (WalletHub, 2015).

addition of new infrastructure is paving the way for business expansion in the city’s northern region. The 240,000-square-foot Lee County VA Healthcare Center on Diplomat Parkway has exceeded its original projections in terms of patients, visitors, staffing, and service levels. This facility is drawing thousands from throughout the region and serves as the anchor for the Veterans Investment Zone, designed to attract symbiotic industries, such as medical, wellness, hospitality, retail, pharmacy, life science, and green industries, in addition to corporate and back office operations. The Cape Coral Economic Development Office (EDO) is working on several fronts to attract new investors and businesses to the city, facilitating the expansion of existing businesses, creating new and improved employment opportunities, and developing and promoting economic incentives. The Cape Coral EDO team tracks emerging industries, demographics, market conditions, and workforce data to provide solid resources for startups, relocations, and expansions.

If you want to get down to business in a clean, warm, and inviting environment, contact us today.

In the past year, the city’s Economic Development Office (EDO) team successfully recruited seven new manufacturers to Cape Coral. Among these is a Taiwanese manufacturer that could create up to 200 jobs over the next five years. The South Cape has enjoyed rapid growth this year with the opening of a variety of new entertainment venues, restaurants, and microbreweries. As the 10th largest city in Florida and the largest city in Southwest Florida, Cape Coral is an ideal location for relocating businesses due to our large, talented, and available workforce. The past two years have brought dynamic growth and richer prospects to the community. The

20 • WORKFORCE

Cape Coral is home to a number of light manufacturing facilities and offers an ideal location to support a corporate headquarters.

Debbie McMullian CareerSource Florida

GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH FLORIDAFLEX

1580 Waldo Palmer Lane, Suite 1 Tallahassee, FL 32308 850.922.8647 dmcmullian@ careersourceflorida.com

A skilled and productive Mississippi-made workforce supports GE Aviation’s composite plants in Ellisville and Batesville, Miss.

FLORIDAFLEX OFFERS GRANTS to relocating or expanding businesses for expenses related to training new employees after jobs have been created. THIS BUSINESS-FRIENDLY PROGRAM, formerly known as Quick Response Training, is flexible to respond quickly to corporate training objectives. Once approved, the business provides a company match of cash or in-kind contributions. The business chooses what training is needed, who provides it and how it is provided.

Discover how FloridaFlex can help your business. CALL 850.922.8647 VISIT careersourceflorida.com

21 • WORKFORCE

Building a Productive and Skilled Workforce in Mississippi AS HOME TO MANUFACTURING facilities ranging from jet engine parts and automobiles to advanced radar systems and battleships, Mississippi is supplying key industries with a well-trained workforce ready to meet rigorous quality standards.

Becky Thompson, Interim Global Business Division Director Mississippi Development Authority Post Office Box 849 Jackson, Mississippi 39205 800-360-3323 Fax: 601-359-4339 www.mississippi.org bthompson@mississippi.org

The alliance between industry and the community college system provides manufacturers with a workforce who is ready to work today, yet nimble enough to adapt to modifications, says Nate Beach, plant leader at GE Aviation in Ellisville.

“GE Aviation has partnered with Jones “The quality of the A skilled and productive Mississippi-made workforce supports GE Aviation’s composite plants in Ellisville Junior College for workforce has improved and Batesville, Miss. several years now,” he since we’ve been here explains. “They really consistent with the have a great ability to figure out exactly what development of the technical requirements that we we need and provide custom training that really have for our workforce,” says Andrew Mallinson, meets the needs of our workforce today. And CEO of Multicraft International in Pelahatchie. then, as business changes, we kind of have a continuing dialogue where they’ll always make As a manufacturer of essential automobile parts, improvements to the program and just never including braking and electronic systems, and other stop improving.” industrial products, Multicraft’s mission demands skilled labor able to adapt to changes — and Mississippi’s community colleges work hand Mississippi provides it. in hand with industries, providing an array of assessment tools to quickly review applicants. “The level of ability has always been capable The schools also provide pre-employment training of reaching the levels that we required,” and customized training programs, meaning Mallinson says. “And over time as we have more workers are ready to contribute to a high quality sophisticated processes, more electronic, more product on Day 1. quality-control systems, we have been able to coach and train our employees to adapt to the “The partnership we have with the state and with new technologies in our manufacturing processes.” the community college system around workforce development is really top-notch,” Beach says. “It’s Multicraft complements its internal training with been benchmarked by other companies, by other specially adapted programs made available sites within GE in other states, and it is really held through Mississippi’s community college system. up as a best practice for how workforces should be Ranked No. 1 by Wallet Hub in 2015, the state’s developed.” community college system offers 131 career and technical degrees and certificates. In fiscal year To find your workforce advantage, 2014, the state’s community colleges served more visit www.mississippi.org or call the than 600 companies and awarded more than Locate Mississippi team at 1-800-360-3323. 8,400 career-readiness certificates.

22 • WORKFORCE

Cited by Florida economic developers as the

ONE best advantage for Florida businesses

Seeking funding to train employees? FloridaFlex is your answer. Formerly known as Quick Response Training, this 21-year grant program is powered by CareerSource Florida and now has expanded to offer Florida businesses much more. Florida economic development professionals cite this program as their #1 advantage in winning multi-state competitive projects. FLEXIBLE: Business choice of training providers and what/when/where training occurs. FAST: Applying online is easy and approval is fast. COMPREHENSIVE: Equipment and training are covered.

Discover how FloridaFlex can help your business. CALL 850.922.8647 | VISIT careersourceďŹ&#x201A;orida.com

AREA0501.indd 1

26/11/15 5:18 PM

CUSTOM TRAINING FACILITY State-of-the-art workforce training facility through a partnership with Bossier Parish Community College PRO-BUSINESS CLIMATE Lowest business taxes for new and expanding manufacturing operations in the U.S., according to the Tax Foundation and KPMG LED FASTSTART® Customized workforce recruitment and hands-on simulation training in company operations STRATEGIC LOCATION Ideal location at The Port of Caddo-Bossier plus state investments in site infrastructure and equipment improvements ROBUST INCENTIVES Tailored incentive package to meet speciﬁc project needs

“Louisiana’s custom-fit solutions are enabling us to identify and train a highly qualified staff to meet our specific technology requirements.” CORNÉ BUIJS | BENTELER STEEL/TUBE CEO & PRESIDENT

Benteler Steel/Tube, a division of Benteler Group specializing in manufacturing and processing of seamless steel tubes, utilized Louisiana’s custom-ﬁt solutions to establish its 675-job hot-rolling tube mill in the U.S. What can Louisiana do for your business? Find out at OpportunityLouisiana.com.

AREA0495.indd 1

30/10/15 8:21 PM