At the Made in America trade show last
October, I stopped by the booth of Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, IL
and met Craig Schmidt. V. P. of Community and Economic Development and Jim Kvedaras,
Consultant. They were at the show to publicize the launch of their new Mobile Training Center (MTC) program that will provide
innovative ways to train and retain workers and minimize workplace interruptions.
Craig told me, “We recently received an Economic Development Administration
(EDA) grant to create the MTC. We used that
grant and matching college funds to build two mobile training centers that can
be moved at will to bring hands-on training to a company site.”
Last week, I checked back with Craig and Jim to see how the program was going. He said they have been identifying manufacturers that would benefit from the program and will start the program at Ford Motor Company’s Stamping plant the week of March 16. They have additional companies lined up.
He explained, “By using the MTCs, employers save the time and expense of sending employees off site to locations for industrial skills training, and workers will not be inconvenienced by having to commute to a community college campus or other location for training. We’ve been offering training in manufacturing skills about 41 of the 60 years since the College opened in 1958. Today, manufacturers need new ways to address the skills gap and retain their workers to be competitive in the global economy. Mobile training can provide some of those ways, and our local manufacturers wanted the training to be brought to them.”
“We’re the first in the area to have these,” he said. “Larger companies that operate three shifts around the clock will be able to provide equal and training opportunities to employees. It’s all focused on advanced manufacturing. The top priority is to upskill current employees.”
He explained, “The MTCs are two 53 ft. highway truck trailers that are temperature controlled, Wi-Fi enabled, and handicap accessible. The MTCs can come on demand, so that training doesn’t have to be confined to whatever facilities an employer can make available without shutting down production lines. The MTCs can be moved to other plant locations, providing training opportunities for more employees, and then moved to other employers. Employers can work with the college to design a training curriculum based on their goals, while minimizing production downtime while the training takes place.”
Craig provided me with a brochure that explained that one trailer is a welding unit and the other is a manufacturing unit. The welding trailer is “equipped with eight multiprocess welding stations and two virtual reality/augmented Arc welding simulation.” Students will learn “welding setup, operation, and troubleshooting using Miller multiprocess welders.”
The manufacturing unit is described as being equipped with the following equipment:
- “Emco machines
- Haas simulators,
- Manual mill/lathe Combo machining centers
- ABB Robotic operations for operation and troubleshooting
- 3D printing capabilities”
The students will learn “PLC and electronics operation and troubleshooting using Siemens and Allen Bradley components” and be trained on “all CNC industry controls that are common to the market.”
The brochure states that MTCs offer:
- “On-site, hands-on training using current technology
- Customizable curriculum, including classroom instruction and practical application
- Training that can be applied toward a college degree or as professional development
- Lab exercises designed to enhance employee competence and performance”
The benefits to employers are described as:
- “Minimize loss of production time and travel expenses
- Increase engagement, efficiency, and retention
- Maintain a competitive edge
- Increase safety performance by uniform adherence to industry standards
- Reduce the manufacturing skills gap”
Craig said, “We are also seeking company sponsorships to assist in offsetting the College’s match of the grant. The College intends to put a portion of the sponsorship back into the community to promote manufacturing jobs to youth and train individuals who may not have easy access to education.”
I thanked Craig and Jim for the information and said that I hoped to see them at this year’s Made in America trade show in Detroit. To learn more about the Prairie State College Mobile Training Center program, visit https://prairiestate.edu/MTC, call (708) 709-7722, or email mtc@prairiestate.edu.
When I browsed the College website, I learned that it also has a Department of Corporate and Continuing Education, which offers customized programs that are delivered either to company facilities or on their campus. Besides the typical business topics of business ethics, business writing, customer service, Secrets of Selling, and time management, the College also offers training in computer software and employee development topics. The latter includes such topics as coaching and mentoring, leadership, and team building.
I was particularly pleased that the College offers training in Lean on such subjects as 5S Workplace Organization, Continuous Improvement, Six Sigma, and Total Productive Maintenance because becoming a Lean enterprise is key to being competitive in the global marketplace.
All across the country, Community Colleges are taking the lead in providing education and training in the skills needed by today’s manufacturers. What is still needed is more high schools restoring hands-on skills training at the high school level. Let’s restore the “shop classes,” such as wood shop and machine shop and start mentoring middle school age children on the importance of choosing STEM careers. STEM careers include manufacturing because nearly all manufacturing today is based on advanced technology.