Program to Train Factory Workers
A program to train, test and certify manufacturing production workers is being launched this week by the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council and the National Assn. of Manufacturers.
The council will offer the program through assessment centers nationwide, including 11 at Southern California community colleges.
Through June 2007, manufacturers in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties can get their employees trained and tested for free at nine of the community colleges thanks to a grant from the Labor Department.
The program is expected to be especially valuable for small manufacturers, which often lack the resources to provide the technical training workers need to keep pace with today’s advanced manufacturing processes.
At the same time, the pool of skilled manufacturing workers from which they can draw has declined as the baby boom generation retires and young people turn up their noses at what many consider dirty and dull work.
Although manufacturers argue that those are outdated stereotypes -- robotics and computer workstations are common on today’s factory floors -- many struggle to find enough qualified employees.
About 80% of manufacturers surveyed by the Washington-based manufacturers group last year reported trouble finding skilled production workers.
The problem was highlighted by a 2004 pilot of the council’s testing program. Just 22% of 1,600 employed manufacturing workers passed all four areas of the test, which included quality practices, manufacturing processes, safety and maintenance. Those who pass are certified production technicians.
The “alarming” results spurred the council to add a training component to the program, said Neil Reddy, director of operations at the Washington-based nonprofit.
In a pilot training program this summer, 73% of 50 workers passed the assessment test after about 160 hours of training, much of it on computer simulations of factory machines and processes.
Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson Motor Co., whose president, James A. McCaslin, also is chairman of the council’s board of directors, is considering making the production technician certification a preferred qualification for factory workers, Reddy said.
Reddy hopes other council members, including aerospace companies, will follow suit.
For more information, visit www.msscusa.org. Information on the California testing sites can be found at Centers for Applied Competitive Technologies, www.cact.org.
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Bill Would Allow Firms to Band for Insurance
Time is running out for a U.S. Senate vote this year on legislation that would allow unaffiliated small businesses to band together nationwide to buy health insurance. Congress is expected to recess for the midterm elections within the next week.
The legislation is backed by many business groups that say it will give small companies more bargaining power and thus lower rates.
Opponents say the association health plans, which cross state lines, would be able to avoid state-mandated coverage for healthcare such as mammograms, favor younger, healthier workforces and actually increase health insurance costs.
No one disagrees, though, that the millions of Americans who own or work for small businesses have a tough time affording health insurance.
Similar legislation has been approved more than once by the House of Representatives.
The Senate version, the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act, made some progress this year. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved it -- the first health insurance bill the committee has approved in almost a decade, said Craig Orfield, communications director for the committee.
But the full Senate voted 55 to 43 against allowing the bill to proceed to another round of debate, possible amendments and a second vote. If the second vote doesn’t occur in the waning days of this session, the legislation will probably surface again next year.
“The close vote this year has added new momentum to efforts to pass the bill in the Senate, raising the possibility it would be considered again next year,” Orfield said.
Owners Expect to Sell Businesses, Survey Finds
Three out of 4 business owners expect to sell their businesses within three years, according to a September survey by GW Equity and the University of Dallas Graduate School of Management.
Most -- 57% of the 200 owners queried -- are motivated by age. The survey, which also asked about merger and acquisition plans, included companies with revenue from $1 million to $150 million.
Reflecting the booming market in private company sales, 82% of the owners said they had been approached recently about selling their companies.
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Franchise Expo to Explore Opportunities
Buying a franchise of an existing business is a popular route to small-business ownership. For a look at the opportunities available and how-to seminars, consider attending the third annual West Coast Franchise Expo to be held Nov. 3 to 5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The International Franchise Assn. sponsors the event.
The expo, which costs $15 to $25 to get in the door, will include representatives from more than 200 franchise concepts. Military veterans will be admitted for free. Exhibitors that have signed up include Aaron’s Rents, Zero’s Subs and Manhattan Beach-based Robeks Corp. The company, founded in 1996, has nearly 100 Robeks Fruit Smoothies & Healthy Eats stores around the country.
Companies that support franchisees (those who buy franchises) and franchisors (those who sell franchises) will also be on hand.
Attendees can find legal, strategic and financial advice at free workshops or half-day seminars that cost $170 and up.
For more information, visit www.wcfexpo.comor call the show’s organizer, MFV Expositions, at (201) 226-1130 or the International Franchise Assn. at (202) 628-8000.
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