Web Exclusive: Training around the world: Triumphs, troubles, and concerns

One positive effect of the economic downturn has been a renewed emphasis in many areas on employee training. For instance, Southern California’s injection molding industry will benefit from a new training program run by a nonprofit organization, California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC). California is ranked first nationally in the plastics industry in terms of the number employed (more than 76,000).



The new program is possible through a partnership between CMTC and RJG Inc. (Traverse City, MI). As a result of the partnership, CMTC now offers hands-on customized onsite injection molding training based on RJG’s technical training programs and CMTC’s customized holistic training. Over the last 12 months CMTC has conducted workforce training programs for 93 small and medium-sized manufacturing companies based in Southern California, with the costs of these often offset by funds from California’s Employment Training Panel (ETP).



In England, meanwhile, the leading group for plastics process training, Polymer Training Ltd. (PTL), is asking, “Where has the money gone?” as it is faced with the likely closure of the industry’s government-funded National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)-based training following the sudden withdrawal of access to the Government Train2Gain budget for the forthcoming year. 



Mark Smith, PTL managing director of the former polymer industry training board in Telford, England, says, “PTL will continue to deliver training for plastics as it always has. But unless the situation changes, all of this training will be on a purely commercial basis, as a result of which UK plastics will suffer.”

PTL reports 181 people from the plastics processing industry are awaiting placement in the “Train to Gain” courses. “Instead of filling places and arranging start dates for these people, we are having to turn down all of the interest, make several of our training and administrative staff redundant, and also gear ourselves to lose one-third of sales volume turnover for the next year,” said Smith. 



“Incredible as it now seems, just a few months ago the UK government announced a £50 million ($85 million) training fund, which it said was set to provide ‘ring-fenced’ skills funding for science- and technology-based businesses, including plastics,” Smith continued. “As far as I can tell, this money has not materialized, and I see no evidence of any process industries’ training being delivered on the ground, let alone plastics. . . . With the best will in the world, I find it hard to see where any of this training promise has actually been delivered in the UK to those who need it: manufacturers, process industries, and particularly those in plastics manufacture and plastics processing.”

Representatives of the plastics processing industry trade associations in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland met in mid-July in Vienna to discuss issues facing their members, with the top concern the need for continued funding and recruiting for processors’ apprenticeship programs. Leaders from the three groups also said they will work more closely together on their apprenticeship programs. 



“There is no equivalent alternative to the dual-system apprenticeship program in Europe,” said Hans Prihoda, director of Austria’s processing association. “Dual-system” refers to the system by which students attend school while also learning in a processor’s facility. “It’s becoming ever more difficult to find qualified high school students for our apprenticeship programs, even though the perspective in the plastics processing industry remains good, despite the current economic problems,” said Ralf Olsen, managing director of Germany’s pro-K trade group and responsible there for employee training programs. —Matt Defosse