INVESTING IN THE FUTURE: TRAINING TO RETAIN TALENT By Lara Copeland, assistant editor, The American Mold Builder
Tprofessional development. Across the employed generations he vast majority of jobholders in the US value opportunities for
– Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials – many workers base a decision to stay at their current position on opportunities for job-related training and development. Skills training also is one of the most effective manners in which a company can improve its productivity, serving as a boost to an employee’s career and a valuable investment for any ongoing business. Schoolcraft, Michigan-based Concept Molds and Fremont, Ohio-based Freeman Company recognize training as one of the most successful methods to retain employees. ACCESS TO ENGAGING DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES While flexible work schedules, a comfortable work environment and benefits packages certainly help motivate employees to remain with the company, offering engaging training may be the most important contribution, according to recent research. Retaining employees by incorporating opportunities for professional development is more important than ever, considering Millennials – the largest generation in the US labor force – desire access to such experiences. Some even cite a lack of access to professional development as a reason they would contemplate abandoning their position. These learning opportunities not only advance a person’s growth, and therefore the work they produce, but as Concept Molds’ Director of Technical
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the american MOLD BUILDER | Issue 1 2020
Sales and Engineering Jason Sparks, said, “It helps give them a little more sense of worth at the company.” The emotional commitment that employees experience regarding their work and their employer is directly affected by the training and career growth opportunities afforded them. Ongoing training demonstrates, in ways other measures can’t, that the employer is invested in its employee’s future. In-house, online or off campus, training should be meaningful. For example, at Freeman, new hires are not “harnessed,” to a senior worker for two years, as Mike Mullholand, general manager at the company explained. “Young people today need training to be fast and involved, which is why we want new employees pushing buttons within a few weeks of starting with us.” He said getting them involved immediately communicates the message that they are contributing to the company, and seeing this progress right away is key to keeping them engaged. “If you’re just hanging around in the shadows, learning information by osmosis or happenstance, you will lose interest quickly – it just doesn’t work well. ” TRAINING RESOURCES One way Concept Molds engages its employees in training is by providing various perspectives and experiences from outside sources. Michael Rochholz, program manager at Concept, explained that the company often shares training responsibilities with its sister company,
