Globalization has offshored low skills manufacturing, leaving industry in the United States to adjust business models, install ever-advancing technology, and incorporate automation on their production floor. These advances in precision and computer-aided work require a labor force with technical and "soft" skills to operate complex…

This study explored apprenticeships as a means of workforce development and the creation of new talent pools within manufacturing companies. An apprenticeship is an arrangement between an individual, a company, and in some instances an academic provider to learn a trade or a job through the combination of academics and on-the-job training (OJT).…

Manufacturing employers often cite challenges to finding and hiring a sufficient number of highly skilled and diverse workers, so it is important to understand how pathways into manufacturing and the retention of manufacturing workers may be improved. The authors of this report address this research gap by examining the pipeline between Ohio's…

West central Georgia has become a burgeoning center for advanced manufacturing and logistics. With facilities for global brands across automotive, agriculture, tech, and biotech industries, the region (which includes Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Haralson, Heard, Meriwether, and Troup counties) has experienced a 100+ percent surge in job demand for…

Purpose: This study addresses the need for a validated tool to assess self-directed learning (SDL) behaviors among Thai operational employees in the petrochemical industry. Understanding SDL capabilities is essential for effective human resource development, given the complexity of plant operations and the need for continuous skill enhancement.…

The U.S. manufacturing industry is experiencing a resurgence and faces a growing need for highly skilled workers. Recent reports project that demand for highly-skilled manufacturing workers will outpace supply in coming years, and this shortage may grow as the U.S. manufacturing industry grows and its labor needs shift. Furthermore, manufacturing…

Purpose: This paper aims to disclose the implications of the 4th Industrial Revolution for vocational and professional qualifications and their systems. It also seeks to enhance more active discussion of experts and researchers about the change of vocational and professional qualifications created by the advent of the 4th Industrial Revolution.…

This chapter describes how Clark State Community College used its TAACCCT grant in manufacturing to help drive organizational changes in the college to better serve local workforce needs.

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how HR professionals describe the summative and formative evaluation process experience during a higher education-based noncredit training program(s) that provided manufacturing employees with the skills needed today and in the future in the United States. The theoretical foundation…

American jobs are undergoing massive technological transformation, with even entry-level workers now expected to use all manner of digital devices and equipment. Nowhere is this more true than in the manufacturing sector, which directly employs more than one in ten U.S. workers and indirectly supports millions more. To succeed in this rapidly…

An underdeveloped talent supply pipeline has resulted in a skills gap and a skilled labor shortage in the manufacturing sector across the United States. This is potentially the result of a lack of diversity in educational opportunity offered to students, an emphasis on college enrollment rates as a high school performance metric, and the…

Community colleges are the leader in facilitating career and technical education (CTE) and workforce development (WD) programs. However, employers who hire recent graduates of these programs question the quality of the education provided. This qualitative study used a focus group comprised of manufacturing and engineering professionals in Florida…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of psychological safety on transformative learning in the workplace. This study focused on psychological safety as a specific practice that may or may not independently contribute to transformative learning outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: Data was gathered from 132 employees in one…

Manufacturing in advanced open economies has experienced significant disruption. Rapid technological change, outsourcing and off shoring have beset manufacturing resulting in a general and steady decline in manufacturing employment. Despite this turbulence, there remains a strong nostalgia for manufacturing resulting in frequent public policy…

Youth want workforce policies and programs that reflect their unique needs. If policymakers listen, they will create more inclusive opportunities that benefit communities, local businesses, and youth themselves. Jobs for the Future (JFF) held a series of focus groups with young people ages 16 to 24 focused on their career aspirations and…