This article describes the organization of a one-day ChemEd Summit that brought together 73 participants from academic, industrial, government, and nonprofit chemical sciences organizations with the aim to guide future initiatives and collaborative strategies to enhance student readiness for the workforce. Registered participants were asked to…

Purpose: Technological advancements and global societal changes reshapes manufacturing industry emphasizing needs for competence development of industrial professionals. The purpose of this paper is to study how organizational learning supports the development of academic structures, creating agile and sustainable formal educational models meeting…

Previous studies show that digital transition brings several benefits and challenges for companies. Among those challenges, particularly for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), the main one is increased capacitation, from technical roles to management. Considering this, the main objective of this study is to identify the training needs and…

The gap between skilled workers needed and skilled workers available increased since the start of the fourth industrial revolution. Employees now need different knowledge, skills, and abilities to enter the workforce and stay current with new technologies than they did in the past. One way this knowledge gap and skilled worker shortage could be…

This research describes the outcome of a needs assessment to determine whether the Univ. of Guyana should introduce a Food Science program. The research design utilized interviews and questionnaires to large manufacturing organizations and agroprocessors to determine if the required skills are available for the manufacturing process. Results…

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the employment and training of mature-aged workers, so that suggestions for improving training for mature-aged workers may be offered. Design/methodology/approach: Six expert interviews were carried out by telephone, and three case studies involving company site visits were completed. Each company case study…

A survey of 1,224 small Illinois manufacturers received 220 responses uncovering the following issues: (1) workers and management were the chief causes of quality problems; (2) better training and management commitment would improve quality; (3) most used inhouse training but were only somewhat satisfied with it; and (4) most used only the…

Opposing the idea that small business is dying, the author suggests that opportunities for small business still exist. (Editor)

At the turn of the century, Taylor and Ford introduced new concepts of organizing the workplace that radically changed the skills, knowledge, and work habits needed in manufacturing. As global changes redefine work today, vocational education should focus on developing a system of knowledge to educate manufacturing workers. (SK)

THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO HAVE MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL AND TECHNICIANS IDENTIFY CORES OF SUBJECT MATTER RELATED TO TECHNICIAN JOB PERFORMANCE AND TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THEIR JUDGMENTS. FIFTY-TWO TECHNICIANS AND 116 MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN 52 ILLINOIS FIRMS EMPLOYING 200 OR MORE PERSONS PARTICIPATED. A 99-CARD CURRICULUM DECK,…

Manufacturing employs a declining share of the U.S. labor force but is still the most important sector of Southern rural economies. Manufacturing has played a major role in reducing poverty in the rural South and is particularly important to economies where tourism, recreation, or commuting is not strong. Historically, manufacturers moved to the…

Attention has been focused on whether U.S. competitiveness in a global market can be sustained if the work force has deficient reading skills. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 90 million adults (50 percent of the adult population) do not have the literacy skills they need to function in society. These persons have limited reading…

Building on previous research on the future skill needs of workers in southeastern Wisconsin, a study was conducted at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) to gather information on the machine tool industry in the Milwaukee area. Interviews were conducted by MATC Machine Shop and Tool and Die faculty with representatives from 135 machine shops,…

This document presents self-perceived needs of managers and first line supervisors in the following Pennsylvania industries: chemical, rubber, and plastic products; banking; apparel, textile, and leather; construction; department stores; electrical machinery; fabricated metal products; insurance; machinery (except electrical); transportation…

A needs assessment of New York State small apparel and textile manufacturers suggested possible roles for extension education, such as newsletters providing information on market trends, government assistance, and new technology; a telephone hotline system; specialized media programs; and liaison between industry and state and local governments.…