NAM-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System

Implementation in LorainCountyCommunity College

June 29, 2009

Implementing the

NAM-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System

InLorainCountyCommunity College

May 26, 2009

June 29, 2009 Revision

Lorain County Community College (LCCC) offers a progressive, diverse educational environment and is a leader in higher education serving more than 11,000 students per semester. LCCC is also home to the University Partnership – the only one of its kind at an Ohio community college – where an additional 3,000 students are pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees through eight of Ohio’s leading universities on the LCCC campus. LCCC serves a culturally diverse population and is committed to excellence in learning and teaching.

LCCC has been a leader in manufacturing education for over 25 years. Located in Elyria, OH, this college has met the talent, education and workforce needs for the county and surrounding area fornearly 50 years. The AdvancedTechnologyCenter was opened in 1984 to address manufacturing industry needs throughout the county and the region. Programs of study focus on broad manufacturing and engineering majors as well as credentials and certificates leading to initial employment, job advancement, or retention.

Community College Workplan Requirements

Using real-time data on occupational, employment, and industry outlooks provided by EMSI (Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc.), complete a validation of the job availability and growth patterns within the regional economy served by the community college (available to the zip code level)

1.Define your region

Our region is the Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area consisting of five counties: Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina. The area boasts a population of over 2 millions people (2,096, 471) according to the U S Census Bureau, 2007 American Community Survey, with over one-half of the population (54.1%) or 1,134,190 people between the ages of 20 and 59. This region’s population is also diverse with one-quarter of the population minority. In terms of industry, while on the decline, manufacturing still remains the second largest employer in the region. In addition, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and based on the 1990-2000 U.S Census data, Cleveland-Lorain-Elyria (a two-county area) ranked 24th in the 100 nation’s largest metropolitan statistical areas. The Cleveland MSA is strategically located on Lake Erie with easy air, road, and water transportation routes. Following are other attributes of the region compared to the state and nation:

Cleveland MSA / Ohio / USA
School enrollment:
Grades 9-12
College enrollment / 22.9%
24.7% / 22.3%
26.2 / 22.0%
26.2
Education attainment:
Less than high school diploma
Associate degree
Bachelor’s degree
Graduate or professional / 12.9%
7.2%
16.3%
10.4% / 12.9%
7.2%
15.2%
8.8% / 15.5%
7.4%
17.4%
10.1%
Income:
Per capita income
Proportion of all people whose income in the past 12 months was below the poverty line / $26,196
12.7% / $24,581
13.1% / $26,688
13.0%
Industry:
Manufacturing
Educational services, and health care and social assistance / 15.9%
23.5% / 16.7%
22.6% / 11.3%
21.2%
Race/Ethnicity:
White
Black
Other / 76.9%
20.3%
3.8% / 85.4%
12.6%
2.0% / 75.8%
13.1%
11.1%

LorainCounty is on the western border of a 16-county Northeast Ohio region served by the Fund for our Economic Future (FFEF). This collaboration of over 90 philanthropies generates and distributes funding to support economic and workforce development in this region. The FFEF has created the Regional Talent Network (RTN), a talent development initiative as a partnership of the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD), the Ohio Board of Regent’s (OBOR)Ohio Skills Bank initiative, and regional metro chambers within northeast Ohio. The goal is to make the “Talent Development System” of post secondary education and workforce development systems more responsive to employer needs in the Northeast Ohio ODOD Regions 8, 9, and 12. The RTN Steering Committee has determined that better alignment of demand and supply of existing and emerging jobs in the manufacturing sector is critical to the economic future of the entire region.

Since the goal of the Ohio Skills Bank (OSB) is to link industry demand to workforce supply, RTN will support and coordinate the Ohio Skills Bank career pathway planning in Northeast Ohio. This realigning of educational systems is designed to eliminate critical skill shortages in all of the state’s 12 economic development regions. LCCC is located in Region 8 and will participate in and benefit from the RTN and OSB work in the region.

All three ODOD regions in Northeast Ohioare forming teams of stakeholders from post-secondary education and training and the workforce system to work with teams of manufacturers to address employer needs through career pathways to provide completers with competencies and certifications that are employer recognized.

  • LCCC’s Entrepreneurship Innovation Institute (EII) is coordinating our commitment to participate in the OSB Region 8 process. Activities are currently underway to gather data and convene employers and educators around the issue of talent supply and demand within manufacturing. This initiative will dovetail well with the activities necessary to implement the NAM project locally and regionally.
  • LCCC is a partner in the Community Based Job Training Grant being implemented in Region 12. Manufacturing, specifically welding, is one of the career pathways being developed through this grant. The NAM credentials will be included in these pathways.

2.Review State LMI information and economic agenda targeting growth sectors,new business attraction indicators. (WIRED regions, Regional Innovation Grants, Economic Development Information, Local chambers)

Data validation will take place using a number of strategies and resources to ensure an accurate representation of current and potential manufacturing workforce needs.

  • Review and analyze LMI datausing most current information regarding regional need.
  • Review Ohio Skills Bank data regarding employment in Regions 8, 9, and 12.
  • Work with the JointCenter for Policy Research (JCPR)located at LCCC and the Center for Economic Development at ClevelandStateUniversity for current regional data available through local sources.
  • Collect and analyze jobs posted in the past 6 months from the state’s OhioMeansJobs.org job portal and EmployOn LaborInsights to identify specific manufacturing jobs, wages, and employers.
  • Follow up with employers to identify challenges in filling vacancies and maintaining a qualified workforce.
  • Gather and analyze business attraction indicators from the regional chambers (Greater Cleveland Growth Partnership, Lorain County Regional Chamber of Commerce), Team NEO, the five regional business incubators, and the Ohio Department of Development regions.
  • Share local employer data gathered by the Business Connection of the Lorain County Growth Partnership and their Synchronist database
  • Utilize relationships with manufacturers served by LCCC’s EII and Employment and Career Services, as well as our partners in the Lorain County Talent Network (JVSAdultCareerCenter and The Employment NetWork) to identify local employers to vet conclusions locally.
  • Use real-time data on occupational, employment, and industry outlooks provided by EMSI (Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc.) to validate job availability and growth patterns within the regional economy served by the community college (available to the zip code level).

Timeline: August, 2009

3.Verify to EMSI report and look at real-time job openings (example: EmployOn database; state job board, etc. and look at openings. Who is hiring, what are the jobs paying, what challenges are employers facing in hiring workers)

Compare and analyze all data to capture snapshot of workforce current and projected needs.

  • Develop charts showing projected employment changes.
  • Adjust for replacement and new positions.
  • Identify specific industry clusters and job classifications with projected growth.

Timeline: December, 2009

4.With Employer Panels, validate approach and replacement numbers (validate “local wisdom” Data says this, is what is actually happening including replacement needs)

Convene Employer Advisory Group to validate approach and replacement numbers and react to findings based on reality of individual company and local region.

OSB Region 8 is currently assembling a manufacturing employer panel to begin the task of sharing their talent supply concerns and pain points, and eventually validating or disputing initial data findings regarding the talent needs of the region’s manufacturers. Timing of this activity aligns well with the NAM project, as the two Employer Panel activities will be folded into one effort.

While regional efforts proceed, LCCC’s EII will take this process back to the local manufacturing arena, and will complete the same process with local representatives from employers currently engaged with The Lorain County Growth Partnership’s Business Connection Program, the Lorain County Manufacturing Council, the local Chamber of Commerce and TeamLorainCounty. These entities will be engaged in identifying the local Employer Advisory Group to work with LCCC's Industrial Advisory Committees. Collectively, these entities and the representatives they recruit will enable LCCC to thoroughly investigate and confidently identify the needs of manufacturers in the local area, as well as the greater region.

LorainCountyCommunity College maintains Industrial Advisory Committees for each of its Engineering Technology (ET) program majors. The advisory committees meet twice per year to review programmatic changes and provide industry feedback. The ET division has rolled out a Google Group site for the Industrial Advisory Committees to create greater depth of content coverage and strengthen the relationship with advisory members.

The Manufacturing Employer Panel will be used to share results from the real-time data and request validation and feedback through a threaded discussion. A Fall 2009 Advisory Committee meeting will be used to share data and resulting feedback and draw conclusions / elicit consensus.

  • Review data with local industry experts for understanding and validation(August 2009).
  • Share data with ET faculty (August, 2009).
  • Populate Google Group site with results and questions for discussion (Late August / Early September 2009).
  • Convene Manufacturing Employer Panel – share data/results/feedback (October 2009).
  • Publish results and feedback through JCPR (November 2009).

Timeline: Completed by December 2009

Convene appropriate program cluster faculty and staff to provide details on the NAM-Endorsed Skills Certification System

Describe the Faculty Orientation process

The Engineering Technologies Division conducts monthly faculty meetings. A series of faculty meetings will be used to orient the ET faculty. The August faculty meeting will be dedicated to an overview of the NAM endorsed Skills Certification System as a “kickoff” meeting with related topics included on following faculty meeting agendas. The ET division has experience with both AWS certifications and MSSC assessment/certification (please refer to section “Conduct a comprehensive audit of the college’s current manufacturing programs…”.) Existing experience shall be used to leverage/expand the NAM-endorsed Skills Certification System into Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MET) majors and provide a frame of reference for faculty. The real-time employment occupational outlook data will be introduced at the kickoff meeting and linked to the industrial advisory activities to facilitate faculty consultation with industry advisors.

  • ET dean will identify early adopters and leaders and engage their support prior to the August meeting.
  • Deliver Kickoff meeting to faculty (August 2009)
  • Solicit faculty for Program/Course Mapping (August 2009).
  • Review/ refine candidate programs (September 2009) and identify early. deployment program areas. Efforts will be made to employ an interdisciplinary approach and apply credentials across all concentrations.
  • Identify industry supporters to communicate the importance of the system and application in their companies. (September 2009).
  • Deliver industry support (October 2009 Faculty meeting).
  • Report on candidate programs (October 2009 Faculty meeting).
  • Develop/refine mapping process (October 2009).
  • Develop integrated strategy on how to include across majors and industries.
  • Report on mapping process (November 2009).
  • Engage faculty and regional leadership in a dialogue to identify future skills in emerging industries (i.e. Lean to Green, alternative energy).
  • Create process for new program development (December 2009).

EII and ET will convene appropriate faculty and other EII Team members (e.g. Employment and Career Services, EII Sales and Adult Transitions managers, SkillsMax Center Coordinator) to learn about details of the NAM-Endorsed Skills Certification System.

Timeline: Completed by December 2009

With MI, begin industry outreach and engagement. NAM/MI to provide a list of employers that have endorsed the approach. Who are the manufacturers that have put forward the model? Who validated the construct? Value of the certification is the ability to get a job – who has endorsed the plan? Messaging toolkit. What is credibility of the model and how does it help our students? Need to articulate the business case to faculty (new workplan activity MI/Colleges)

1. Roadmap

2. Timeline

3. Companies that participated in the process

Employer Endorsement

  • Review NAM/MI list of employers that have endorsed approach.
  • Identify local or regional manufacturers-led by EII Sales Manager in cooperation with the Lorain County Business Connection team.
  • Contact and secure support and agreement to “Champion” Skills Certification System.

Timeline: Completed by December 2009

1.Identify key manufacturer to be a part of the strategy development

Lorain County Community College (LCCC) has an established relationship with the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET) and is in an excellent position to meet the industry outreach and engagement goals through this relationship. MAGNET is both the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) for Northern Ohio as well as one of seven Edison Centers in Ohio. MAGNET supports the manufacturing industry through global, competitiveness, advocacy and education, and training initiatives. Through their comprehensive services, MAGNET connects with employers throughout the region to improve their workforce and business processes and grow both the top line and bottom line.

  • LCCC will partner with MAGNET to identify key manufacturers to participate in the development of the strategic plan to implement the NAM endorsed certification system.
  • Through MAGNET’s employer network, including the joint chamber membership program, the Council of Smaller Manufacturers (CSM) and the Dream It. Do It. Ambassador program, MAGNET is well positioned to reach out to and engage industry leaders.

2. Identify a key employer (opinion leaders) in the region as Champion for peer to peer engagement

  • LCCC will partner with the Lorain County Growth Partnership, Regional Chamber of Commerce, and MAGNET to identify a key employer viewed as an opinion leader in the region to champion peer to peer engagement among their colleagues.
  • Additionally, MAGNET will solicit participation through its network of employers who participated in the Competitiveness Challenge and the Innovation Accelerator series that facilitated peer to peer collaboration.

3. Develop employer outreach and engagement toolkit (business case for employers) (MI/College)

  • LCCC will partner with MAGNET to develop an outreach and engagement toolkit for employers that will outline the business case for recognizing and utilizing the NAM-endorsed certification system.
  • The MAGNET ambassador program has created a “toolkit” for manufacturers outlining the steps to engage with educators. This will be adapted to include the certification system and strategies to demonstrate the value of the system.
  • Content will be created to present the certification system as a critical tool in improving and ensuring a skilled workforce for the region’s employers.
  • In partnership with the Cuyahoga Community and LakelandCommunity Colleges and OSB Education and Training Consortium, LCCC and MAGNET will identify the key findings and agree on a set of recommendations that emerge from discussions with manufacturers toward the NAM certifications being used as an important credential in hiring and promoting workers in their workplaces.
  • Review these recommendations with the Champion Employer for reaction and endorsement and promotion.

4.Engage employer networks (MEPs, employer association groups, chambers, leverage HR Policy executive meetings in each region, Dream It. Do It. Network; SHRMState and Local events)

LCCC will partner with MAGNET the MEP for Northern Ohio, to engage with and build upon the work of employer networks in the region.

  • MAGNET as one of seven Edison Centers in the state will assist in accessing the networks of employers from the other centers including Bio-Ohio, the Edison Welding Institute and Polymer Ohio.
  • MAGNET will solicit participation with other partners such as the Precision Metal Forming Association, the National Tooling and Machining Association
  • MAGNET as the leader of the Dream It. Do It. program in Northeast Ohio will tap into its network for employer support and student recruitment.
  • MAGNET’s membership program with the region’s five major chambers (Greater Cleveland Partnership, the Youngstown-Warren Chamber, the Greater Akron Regional Chamber, the Canton Regional Chamber and the Stark Development Board) will facilitate a broader connection with employers through Northeast Ohio as the credential system is implemented. This membership program connects MAGNET with over 2500 manufacturing companies in northeast Ohio.
  • MAGNET is also active with regional and state SHRM and hosts a local manufacturers HR peer group that will be engaged in this orientation process and additional employers can be engaged through that network as well.
  • WIRE-Net (the Westside Industrial and Retention Network) an organization representing small manufacturers in the Cuyahoga County area will be recruited to assist in connecting with and informing small manufacturing companies .

Timeline: October – December, 2009

5. Review of key industry meetings to leverage existing activities

  • MAGNET maintains a regional calendar that focuses on a variety of events that serve the manufacturing community and its partners and can easily increase its search capabilities to capture additional events that will serve the project’s purpose and identify those already in the system that can be leveraged.
  • WIRE-Net regularly offers activities for their members and other interested manufacturers.These events will be leveraged as another strategy for employer engagement.

Timeline: Fall, 2009, Spring 2010