Manufacturing Talent Summit 2012- Solving the Talent Crisis

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LANSING — The MMA and the MEDC will be putting on a manufacturing summit from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 30 at the Michigan State University Henry Center for Executive Development. This summit will bring together manufacturers, training professionals, including community colleges, the private sector and association professionals, to showcase recent training success stories, highlight currently available local options for manufacturers, provide examples of best practices in recruiting, discuss new ways to solve the immediate challenges of getting trained workers on the job now, and developing efforts to build an ongoing pipeline of talent for the future.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the program will be begin at 9 a.m.

Edward Gordon, president of Imperial Consulting, John Buchan, COO of Autocam Corp., and the presidents of Grand Rapids Community Colleges, Michigan Community College Association, and Macomb Community College will be speaking at the event. 

The community college representatives will discuss the primary ways they can be valuable partners with manufacturers in tackling the talent crisis through customized non-credit training and specialized for-credit courses like the Right Skills Now for Manufacturing program. This segment will also cover the new tax-capture program which provides funding for training workers.

Governor Rick Snyder has been invited to speak about Michigan as a manufacturing state. 

Representatives from the Oakland County ISD, CEPD Council, and the Jackson Area Manufacturers Association will offer expert advice on how to partner with your local schools from manufacturers and educators who have successfully implemented a full spectrum of programming to educate and motivate kids about manufacturing from kindergarten to graduation.

The program will also include a segment on how to retain workers through your “employment brand” — on-the-job training, pay scales, regular advancement, benefits and a positive work environment — and how to reconcile the mismatch between interviewing for skill and hiring for culture. Also covered: how to recruit using YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, news media, search firms and staffing agencies.