4 minute read
Talent
Rubber Product Manufacturer Implements ‘Hire to Retire’ Initiative
By Sarah Knight, marketing content manager, 180 Skills
With companies struggling to build strong, stable workforces, consider creating career lattices for employees to climb. That is what rubber product manufacturer R.E. Darling is doing as part of its Hire to Retire initiative to win the war for talent in Tucson, Arizona.
R.E. Darling specializes in the manufacture of specialty rubber and composite products used in the aerospace and defense industry. Its largest business segment involves manufacturing solid rocket motor case insulators. The company employs approximately 200 individuals, from mill room operators and process engineers to support specialists and production supervisors.
Like most manufacturers, R.E. Darling has been a revolving door of employee turnover for the past few years. But it’s hopeful that door will stop circling as the company prepares to launch a new talent management and retention strategy that centers around the career lattice model.
“We would have employees start one week and quit the next because another employer was paying a dollar more an hour,” said Jen Johnson, HR specialist at R.E. Darling. “We knew we had to do something, so we decided to revamp our learning and development efforts.”
Compared to the career ladder model, the career lattice approach is much more adaptive, representing the multidirectional, flexible and expansive nature of how successful organizations work today. It is a strategy that creates a well-rounded understanding of the company and how each department contributes to its success.
To successfully implement its new strategy, R.E. Darling needed a flexible training solution that could provide varied paths for employee growth and development – and 180 Skills fit the bill.
With nearly 800 skills courses in its online content library, 180 Skills is a turnkey solution for deploying skills training in a variety of industry segments. It includes an intuitive learning management system (LMS) for assigning and completing courses, student study guides and instructor training plans.
skills, and quality and continuous improvement skills. R.E. Darling will take advantage of rubber training modules that include quality in rubber manufacturing, material mixing technology, extrusion technology and safety in a manufacturing environment.
The online training platform also will provide R.E. Darling employees the opportunity to earn one of 13 industryrecognized certifications in areas such as advanced manufacturing, industrial automation, quality assurance and Six Sigma green belt.
“With 180 Skills, we can give each employee access to career growth pathways that allow for vertical, horizontal and diagonal movement,” said Johnson. “We don’t want our employees to feel they have to stay in the same department to advance within the company.”
She also noted that online skills training was an easy sell to employees because when surveyed, most, if not all, of the R.E. Darling employees wanted access to new learning and development opportunities. Even the company’s office staff will benefit from 180 Skills, having access to a full suite of Microsoft® Office skills courses.
Given that 180 Skills courses are short-term and on-demand, R.E. Darling employees will be able to learn around their work priorities and during scheduled downtime. “It’s important for employees to be able to learn at work,” noted Johnson. “It keeps them engaged and motivated. Our entire workforce has access to 180 Skills by way of their desktops or our learning lab.”
Employers may wince at the idea of taking an employee off the floor for training; however, online learning does not eat into productivity the same way as in-person training does. According to an IBM study, every dollar invested in online training yields $30 in productivity, mainly because employees can resume their work faster.
Because everyone learns differently, Johnson appreciates that each 180 Skills course uses text, audio, graphics, animations and simulations to engage employees. So, whether an employee is a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner, 180 Skills makes it easy for anyone to absorb the course material. To ensure each employee is learning the content, each skills course closes with a thorough assessment that requires a perfect score for completion.
While R.E. Darling’s goal is to have the 180 Skills training platform fully up and running by April, Johnson said the company is taking its time and doing everything to ensure a successful launch. “To properly roll out any employee training program, you need to have a clear vision and strategic plan in place,” she said.
In preparing for the roll-out, Johnson, who is the LMS administrator for the 180 Skills platform, has been working with department managers, reviewing employee job descriptions and identifying skills gaps. She is using the information to build personalized career pathways for employees in the LMS. Department managers also have access to the LMS to monitor employee progress, run reports and tweak career paths as needed.
While the 180 Skills platform in and of itself is easy to use, Johnson said embedding learning and development into company culture takes time and energy, but the rewards are indisputable. When properly implemented, skills training makes employees more efficient and effective in their jobs, allowing companies to benefit from increased productivity and decreased job errors. Training opportunities also help keep employees engaged and loyal to their companies. u
Sarah Knight is the marketing content manager for 180 Skills, which provides a turnkey skills training system that empowers manufacturers to create, grow and retain their workforce. The company’s library offers nearly 800 skills courses, including a variety of courses on rubber manufacturing processes that are exclusively available to ARPM members. Additionally, ARPM members receive a 10% user discount on the 180 Skills training system. For more information, visit www.180skills.com or call 317.735.3370.
