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ManufacturingWorks - The new Chicago Workforce Center for Manufacturing

Job development often requires both a broad-base of knowledge about various industries in which to do job searches, in addition to in-depth knowledge of a particular industry – a combination that may, at times, be time consuming and hard to master. Recognizing this, the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development (MOWD) and the Chicago Workforce Board (CWB) decided to make a broad, innovative change. They worked to establish sectoral-based centers to focus primarily on the business needs of specific sectors – manufacturing and service industries – and to help the existing network of over 100 community organizations better target business services to these employers.

"The goal of this center is to help to retain and expand employment opportunities in Chicago. This demand-driven approach will benefit job seekers ultimately."

To do so, MOWD and the CWB funded the Chicago Workforce Center for Manufacturing. "ManufacturingWorks," as the Chicago Workforce Center for Manufacturing is known, opened its doors on site at Westside Technical Institute in October 2005. Instituto del Progreso Latino, a long-time MOWD affiliate and one of the main partners on the Chicago Manufacturing Campus hiring project, operates the Center.

"The goal of this center is to help to retain and expand employment opportunities in Chicago," explains Tom DuBois, Workforce Programs Director. "This demand-driven approach will benefit job seekers ultimately."

This type of demand-driven center – focusing on businesses' needs and interests – strengthens the workforce development system as a whole. "Sector centers can hire outreach staff that can speak the language of the sector, can increase the effectiveness of its outreach efforts and better understand manufacturers' concerns and can carefully match the needs of employers to the job seeker pool. As a result, this builds up more trust and confidence of manufacturer employers in the public workforce system and increases the number of enthusiastic and satisfied customers of the system," says DuBois.

ManufacturingWorks "acts as a headhunter for businesses, but is more than just a typical recruiter" states Jeffrey Marcella, MOWD's Director of Policy. Since its opening, the Center has provided hiring assistance to over 60 manufacturing companies and to over 550 job seekers. As Steve Everett, Director of Manufacturing Works notes, "the Center's focus is to respond to and meet the needs of manufacturers."

"Sector centers can hire outreach staff that can speak the language of the sector, can increase the effectiveness of its outreach efforts and better understand manufacturers' concerns and can carefully match the needs of employers to the job seeker pool."

ManufacturingWorks complements the work of the existing WorkNet Chicago system – recruiting customers from that system and coordinating training and business relationships in manufacturing. Because funding for the Center comes from sources other than just the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), the Center's outcomes are based on specific services to employers (e.g., how many businesses are served, how many job orders are filled and how many customized training programs are initiated), rather than traditional WIA performance standards. ManufacturingWorks may also serve individuals who are not WIA-eligible.

The "business services" provided at the Center are multi-faceted. Staff recruit manufacturing companies, assess their workforce needs, and then actively recruit, screen and assess job seekers who have skills and/or an interest in manufacturing for an employment match. ManufacturingWorks staff may also help to build and broker customized trainings, On the Job Trainings (OJTs) and internships for businesses. They also work with education and training entities to develop curricula to suit the needs of the manufacturing business community.

Additionally, Center staff facilitates workshops and presents information about available tax credits and incentives for employers. They may also provide information about public funds available to subsidize the costs of training (such as TIFWorks, on-the-job training and ETIP funding), labor market information and best practices in organizational management – all with a viewpoint of the employer.

Staff at the Center work with many partners in this endeavor – Local Industrial Retention Initiative (LIRI) groups throughout the City, the Chicago Federation of Labor, the Chicago Manufacturing Center and the Center for Labor and Community Research - each of whom provide a unique component of outreach to business, business assessment, case management and research to the project.

The Center works specifically with LIRI groups, many of who have established relationships with companies. LIRI groups help identify companies who have hiring needs, help fill job orders, provide resources and help to market the range of business services that the Center can provide. "We should coordinate all resources and services to manufacturing companies and act as a single point of contact to work with a company," stresses DuBois.

"We should coordinate all resources and services to manufacturing companies and act as a single point of contact to work with a company."

ManufacturingWorks also works with two "outside" organizations to augment the services available to employers. Educational Data Systems Inc. (EDSI) performs comprehensive "skills gap analysis" and assessments of businesses' workforce needs. EDSI staff then act as consultants to companies reviewing skills needed for open positions, developing "training plans" for incumbent workers and guiding companies to credentialed training providers.

The Center also works with the Chicago Manufacturing Center (CMC) to provide "Lean Manufacturing" training for its business customers. Lean Manufacturing offers processes and techniques for companies to become more efficient. CMC will work with those companies for additional assistance to implement Lean Manufacturing throughout their business practices.

The Center additionally provides job seeker services specifically for individuals with specific skills and/or an interest in manufacturing. As job orders are generated, case managers contact potential candidates and work with these individuals on resume and interview preparation and can broker training opportunities, if needed.

So how, as a job developer, can you get your customers connected?

Job developers at delegate agencies can easily access the Center's resources in various ways. First, delegate agencies (who are not already WIA-funded agencies) can sign up to receive emails of job orders when they are generated and posted. WIA-funded agencies typically already receive these job listings. Second, if an agency's customers show an interest in manufacturing or have specific manufacturing-related skills, job developers are encouraged to send those individuals' resumes to ManufacturingWorks.

One of the Center's goals is to educate job seekers about the benefits of manufacturing as a growing industry and prospective career.

Everett stresses that the Center is in constant need of individuals who have job skills in the listed "intermediate" and "advanced" manufacturing jobs, general categories of job placements by ManufacturingWorks account executives. Advanced manufacturing jobs (paying approximately $15–$30/hour), requiring usually more than five years in manufacturing, include: coordinate measuring machine programmer, welder, tool and die maker, lead machinist, computer numerical control machinist, experienced industrial maintenance and supervisor of machinists. Intermediate manufacturing jobs (paying approximately $10–$14/hour), requiring at least a high school diploma or GED, English, precision measurement experience, algebra/trigonometry and print reading, include: quality control and inspector optical comparator, die operator and setter for Stamping Machine, manual machining, advanced machine operator, computer numerical control lead operator, electrical mechanical assembly, and entry level industrial maintenance.

The Center also provides industry-specific resources and information to all WorkNet Chicago agencies and offers feedback to agencies as staff learns about training and skills that are necessary to successful careers in manufacturing. One of the Center's goals is to educate job seekers about the benefits of manufacturing as a growing industry and prospective career. Because of the significant skills shortage in manufacturing, the Center distributes information about critical skills shortages and available training in manufacturing and plans to continue to coordinate with the Chicago Public Schools to better educate students about manufacturing. "We need to publicize the value of careers in manufacturing and to change the image of the manufacturing industry," emphasizes DuBois.

The Chicago Workforce Center for Manufacturing is innovative; "starting from a demand-driven standpoint, it provides freedom and flexibility to meet business on businesses' terms," notes Marcella. "This is a national model. While other regions have begun to work via sectoral approaches, none have dedicated this amount of funds or this coherent an effort toward meeting the needs of a targeted industry."

The Chicago Workforce Center for Manufacturing is located at Westside Technical Institute at 2800 South Western Avenue. Its hours of operation are Monday–Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, visit the ManufacturingWorks' website at www.chicagomfgworks.com or by phone at (773) 523-2516.

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