MSSC brought together leaders representing companies, workers, educators, and related organizations in manufacturing to create a blueprint for a new skills pipeline in manufacturing. Some employers relied on educational institutions to train workers for highly skilled jobs. Most manufacturing workers, however, gained skills on the job or through internal training that was rarely recognized outside that company. This approach worked for a very long time. But manufacturing changed.
Jobs now require more skill, training, and experience.
In this century, a skilled and knowledgeable workforce will provide U.S. industry with its greatest competitive advantage, said the World Economic Forum, as it strives to maintain its status as the world s most productive economy. Globally, high performance and high value-added services have replaced high volume. Consequently, employers seek highly skilled workers who work smarter, not just harder. Yet, the need grows for greater education and training opportunities for existing manufacturing workers and those considering a career in manufacturing. A recent U.S. Census Bureau survey said that more than half of the responding companies cited better education and training as two of the most significant barriers to adoption of new technologies.