Workforce/Training

 

Join the "Industry Certifications Preferred" Team!

When prospective employees arrive at your doorstep with an industry certification on their resume that is relevant to your business, it will undoubtedly save you time and money when you hire that individual.  You can help drive students to earn industry certifications by putting “industry certifications preferred” on your employment applications and packages.  Then go one step further and list the industry certifications you are looking for.

MAF and the MAF Center are working with state agencies and the TRADE college consortium to coordinate the universe of industry certifications for manufacturers in Florida.  Attached is a flyer that lists the industry certifications being offered at Florida colleges (and some high schools and tech schools) now.  We encourage you to pull the ones off the list that matter to you and put them on your employment applications!

We don’t have to have the “chicken or the egg debate” if we just start putting “industry certifications preferred” now on our employment materials! The preference will drive prospective employees to earn those certifications. Click here for more details.

 

Dream It! Do It!

Florida's Dream It! Do It! program focuses on introducing high school student to manufacturing careers. This is being done around the state through the adoption of high schools by Florida manufacturers.  If you would like to adopt a high school, contact the Dream It! Do It! Project Manager for Florida, Amanda Bowen at [email protected].


Looking for Qualified Manufacturing Entry Level Workers?

 Manufacturers in Florida are looking for qualified, experienced workers…but cannot find them because candidates for jobs do not have the required skills. So now we have a solution! 

 Students from around the state are now ready to accept a 4-week paid learning experience (or longer) at your company.  You might ask them to tackle a project for you, utilizing the skills they have just acquired, or pair them with a seasoned worker to provide additional manpower for a job.  No obligations beyond the learning experience, but if you try them you might want to keep them!  For more information check here. 

Visit http://www.fltrade.org/employer-portal-1.html to view students now available with one or more of the skills above and contact the designated college to interview the individuals.

 

Hiring Florida's Heroes

MAF encourages Florida manufacturers to hire our veterans.  Our  top six  reasons why you should hire a veteran:

  1. Veterans lead and work with integrity
  2. Veterans are adept at technology and globalization
  3. Veterans respect procedures and accountability
  4. Veterans work efficiently and perform well under pressure
  5. Veterans are fast learners who possess a broad range of applicable skills
  6. The military teaches skills valuable to the manufacturing sector - teamwork, dependability, communication, punctuality, safety, cleanliness, punctuality and more!

It's easy.  Go to the Employ Florida Vets web portal www.employflorida.com/portals/veteran or call 1-800-438-4128 to access online services and information on Florida's nearly 100 One-Stop Career Centers. The Employ Florida Vets web portal provides 24/7 access to post job listings, search resumes and find information about employment tax incentives.  Through the Employ Florida toll-free number, employers can connect with a local workforce specialist for recruitment and hiring assistance.  
 

MSSC Certified Production Technician Certification

Many manufacturers through the US and – specifically – right here in central-Florida today are seeking skilled workers who are ready to start work with the knowledge and skills necessary to bring results right away. Some manufacturers have realized that there is an easy way to determine if their potential employees have what it takes: Simply screening for applicants who have earned their Manufacturing Skill Standards Council’s (MSSC) Certified Production Technician (CPT) certification.
 
This national certification – referred to as the CPT – is awarded to learners who have passed four comprehensive exams in each of the categories of (a) Safety, (b) Manufacturing Production & Processes, (c) Maintenance Awareness, and (d) Quality Practices and Measurement.  Passing all of the assessments leads to attainment of the nationally recognized CPT certification, which many employers are now listing as a preferred qualification for new hires. Additionally, certification holders can receive 15 credit hours towards their Engineering Technology AS degree or 9 credit hours towards their Electronics Engineering Technology AS degree at many community and state colleges throughout Florida.
 
The certification was created to be applicable to all manufacturing sectors, from potato chips to microchips.  In Florida it is now available to high school students in manufacturing career academies, college students in engineering technology and advanced manufacturing AS degree programs, and to workforce trainees (either incumbent or displaced). Learners from throughout the state have sat for and passed the exams, and many of those have either found gainful employment or been promoted into skilled trades.  At the national level, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) has identified the MSSC CPT as one of five core certifications in their talent development blueprint - the "Skills Certification System".

The benefits are many, for both employers and employees.
Employers:
·         Decreased recruitment costs by providing job candidates with industry-recognized credentials.
·         Elimination of remedial training costs by providing well-prepared workers.
·         A diagnostic tool to benchmark incumbent workers against a high-performance national standard.
·         Increased ROI for training by targeting gaps identified by diagnostic tool. 
Workers and students:
·         Offers the only nationally portable, industry recognized skill certifications for front-line production workers (entry-level through first line of supervision) in all sectors of manufacturing.
·         Improves career advancement opportunities and earnings by obtaining high-performance skills through MSSC training.
·         Improve job security through document certification of proven skill sets.
·         The certification articulates for college credit at community and state colleges.

If you are an advanced manufacturing employer, please consider adding this credential as a preferred condition of employment or promotion.

 

Comprehensive Industry Certification List

Click below to download the current industry certification list used by agencies to plan high school curriculum to prepare students for industry careers.

Postsecondary Industry Certification Funding List
2014-2015 Approved Comprehensive Certification List
CAPE Industry Certification List

 

Targeted Occupations List

CareerSource Florida utilizes data from the State’s Workforce Estimating Conference to define specific occupations needed for the workforce system and then publishes a Targeted Occupations List (TOL).   Each CareerSource Region customizes this list based on local workforce needs to develop Regional TOL’s.  Once developed and approved, these TOL’s govern the funding and provision of training programs being offered to individuals needing training assistance within the workforce system in compliance with federal and state law. It is essential that manufacturers make sure that occupations related to manufacturing are on their regional TOL’s.  MAF is always recruiting manufacturers to help review these lists and make sure they are relevant to today's jobs.  If you would like to volunteer, contact [email protected]