Tooling U-SME’s Competency Framework for Manufacturing Excellence Now Available
DEARBORN, Mich. (PRWEB) November 18, 2014 -- With 64 percent of manufacturers reporting that productivity losses are a result of the skills gap and only 18 percent having defined workforce roles1, it is clear that companies need to invest in cultivating the next-generation workforce while defining successful performance for current employees. To streamline this process, Tooling U-SME, a leader in manufacturing training and development, today launched a new industry resource – Tooling U-SME’s Competency Framework for achieving manufacturing excellence.
The Competency Framework offers a newly designed online tool allowing companies to easily implement it across their organizations. The Competency Framework helps companies combat the increasing talent shortage and achieve stronger performance from their workforce while providing clear development pathways and career growth opportunities for their employees. It features a comprehensive series of competency models in nine manufacturing functional areas and is made up of more than 60 defined job role competency models, outlining knowledge and skill objectives for job roles in production, technician, lead technician/technologist and engineer levels.
“While employers invest in equipment, tooling and materials, they often neglect to make similar investments in their employees,” said Jeannine Kunz, managing director of workforce and education for SME. “Tied to business goals, a well-designed training program, including the Competency Framework, becomes the foundation for performance management, talent acquisition, and leadership development, which helps drive a company’s competitiveness.”
Training is no longer one size fits all and the Competency Framework is designed to address this. As the process has become more sophisticated, rules and regulations have become tighter and manufacturers are requiring validation that employees are able to apply classroom knowledge to their everyday job responsibilities. Organizations are looking at employees individually and building customized training programs to fit strengths and weaknesses.
Benefits to leveraging the Competency Framework include:
• Ensure enterprise-wide consistency making a workforce more flexible and dynamic, ultimately reducing labor costs.
• Streamline the training process and cut costs by eliminating unnecessary/redundant training and allowing more training where needed.
• Help managers easily evaluate worker performance levels using specific behavioral indicators, which reduces subjective assessment, and increases assessment accuracy.
• Enhance employee satisfaction based on the rationality of the system.
• Define and explain to an average performer what they need to attain to become a superior performer (career pathways).
Created by a committee of experts from industry and academia, Tooling U-SME’s Competency Framework is designed to complement other competency models in the marketplace. It can be used "as is" or customized to individual work practices at a company's facility. For a seamless training and development process, knowledge objectives within the framework are mapped directly to Tooling U-SME's extensive training resources.
For more information about Tooling U-SME and its Competency Framework, email [email protected], call 866.706.8665 or visit toolingu.com. Several resources about competency models and the Tooling U-SME Competency Framework are available, including a white paper, brief video and webinar.
About Tooling U-SME
Tooling U-SME delivers versatile, competency-based learning and development solutions to the manufacturing community, working with more than half of all Fortune 500® manufacturing companies, as well as educational institutions across the country. Tooling U-SME partners with customers to build high performers who help their companies drive quality, productivity, innovation and employee satisfaction. A division of SME, an organization that connects people to manufacturing solutions, Tooling U-SME can be found at toolingu.com, facebook.com/toolingu or follow @ToolingU on Twitter.
1”The Great Skills Gap Concern – Manufacturing,” SME, in partnership with Brandon Hall and Training magazine, May 2013.
Beth Oates, SME, +1 313-425-3190, [email protected]
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