February 2010 - After I wrote my first column for FFJournal, an article appeared in the Chicago Tribune headlined, 'Manufacturing job plunge may be terminal.'

After reading it, what I took away was the fact that the manufacturing sector isn’t in good shape and that there’s little, if anything, that can be done to fix it.

I also felt the article, to some extent, undermined the important, innovative efforts that have gone into training and education programs at companies across the country.

I have worked in the forming and fabricating business for years, dealing with and advocating for training and education for more than three decades internationally.

The forming and fabrication industry is big business in the United States, and people should recognize its importance, as well as the related training and education.

Talk the talk
In business, it all starts with a demand for products on the national and international markets. Many times, the demand is triggered by attraction, trend and availability. This also applies to training, education and apprenticeship training programs. Further, in terms of business language, the return on investment should always be part of training programs that are offered.

The industry, in general, is organized, follows financial rules, deals with customers and can react pretty flexibly to demands for its products.

How about training, education and apprenticeship training programs? From the point of view of a training professional, training and education are many times understood and applied as "short-term training" in the industry.

What we really need is long-term training or apprenticeship training programs, but this falls short in many ways:

Taking the necessary steps
The world is going through a recession, but both the U.S. and international markets also face a huge challenge because of trends and product changes.

The existing workforce is ailing, and there’s a need for more well-trained employees in the market. But for how long and how well can we survive with a workforce that’s nearing retirement?

Companies are dealing with these issues every day, and they’re finding that workforce changes are an internal challenge. One solution: training and education.

In fact, an innovative, long-term training program can help support a business and provide a return on investment.

It’s just a matter of having the right mindset about training and education, as well as the willingness to invest in tomorrow’s workforce--and the future of the industry. FFJ