Training and Retention Articles

Results: 50


View this Issue	Supporting training with e-learning tools Published: November 18, 2011 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Manufacturing companies, both large and small, complain that they can't find skilled workers to fill open positions. Instead of waiting for local educational institutions to change their ways, they might have to assume more training...

View this Issue	Waiting for welders won't work Published: September 9, 2011 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Many metal fabricators need new welding talent, especially as they look at new business opportunities and the impending retirements of some of their best workers. Unfortunately, the local trade schools aren't producing enough talented individuals...

View this Issue	Plate milling 101 Published: July 5, 2011 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Heavy plate fabricators drill and mill plate to achieve tight tolerances. But these metal cutting tools exert significant forces on the workpiece vibration, particularly in large workpieces such as plate. When machining in general and especially...

View this Issue	Teen race car driver promotes manufacturing careers Published: February 24, 2009 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Need help motivating young people in your area to train for manufacturing careers? Want to get them fired up about pursuing their passions? Seven Minneapolis technical schools turned to race car driver Brennan Palmiter to help them accomplish...

View this Issue	But anybody can weld, right? Published: September 16, 2008 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Welding is a craft that requires both proper training and practice. Training your welders can have a very positive effect on your operation. A well-trained welder is more likely to produce high quality welds efficiently and weld safely. He also...

View this Issue	Recruit, train, and retain Published: March 11, 2008 Tech Cell: Training and Retention The FABRICATOR's Editorial Advisory Board meets to discuss ways to find new talent and keep them interested in manufacturing as a career choice. Time has passed, but the times haven't changed that much. A little over two years ago The...

View this Issue	Economy edges out other concerns Published: February 26, 2008 Tech Cell: Training and Retention The fourth annual Fabricating Update subscriber survey revealed that anxiety about the U.S. economy outranks other metal manufacturing industry concerns, including steel prices, the No. 1 concern the previous three years. Beating steel prices by a...

View this Issue	Rebuilding the infrastructure Skilled workers must be trained now Published: October 9, 2007 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Recent news, such as the Minneapolis bridge collapse, confirms that the nation's aging infrastructure needs an overhaul. New materials will help make bridges and other structures stronger, but finding the work force to build them won't be an...

View this Issue	Cure for the welder shortage Published: October 9, 2007 Tech Cell: Training and Retention What can be done to combat the skilled welder shortage? Longtime welding educator and inspector Tina Buchanan has some ideas that require cooperation among educational facilities at all levels, industry, and parents. Among her recommendations...

View this Issue	Connecting with employees Published: July 10, 2007 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Quickly growing companies find that keeping communication channels functioning and creating new ones are critical to sustaining the culture that made them good workplaces when they were small.

View this Issue	Job hopping—A sign of the times Published: June 26, 2007 Tech Cell: Training and Retention The average employee no longer stays with the same company until retirement. Some change jobs frequently. Job hopping can pose problems for both employees and employers. When workers pursue jobs that are good fits for their skills and...

View this Issue	Abuse of power in the workplace Published: April 10, 2007 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Workplace bullying can negatively affect an employee's work performance, home life, and health. Seventy-one percent of bullies are bosses. What constitutes an abusive boss, and what can employees who are abused do to correct their harmful working...

View this Issue	The adult learner: Training your labor force Published: March 13, 2007 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Training programs enhance worker skills, encourage employee/employer loyalty, and help reduce employee turnover. This article defines what is important to an adult learner, describes the different types of adult learners, and details the...

View this Issue	Is a good attitude all it takes? Published: January 9, 2007 Tech Cell: Training and Retention This article from reader-favorite author Bob Nichols is a point-of-view piece that questions the popular adage that attitude is all it takes to excel in the business world. Nichols' article, written from a mature manager's perspective, is a...

View this Issue	Creating a leadership team that speaks, acts with one voice Published: January 9, 2007 Tech Cell: Training and Retention This article is based on a 2006 FABTECH® Intl. & AWS Welding Show seminar presented by Dr. Bob Rausch, a facilitator and coach for executives, managers, and their teams. It explains the importance of creating and energizing effective...

View this Issue	Understanding and motivating the multigenerational work force Published: November 7, 2006 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Generational conflicts among the work force can drain a company's enterprise energy and diminish productivity. This article, based on the 2006 FABTECH® International & AWS Welding Show Executive Forum conducted by Dr. Bob Rausch, explains...

View this Issue	Coping with change in the workplace Published: November 7, 2006 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Change is constant in the workplace. Different people react to change in different ways. While some embrace change, others resist or stall the process to the detriment of themselves and their company. This article discusses how individuals can...

View this Issue	Hanging on to your skilled workers Published: September 12, 2006 Tech Cell: Training and Retention With skilled labor becoming scarcer, employers must strengthen their retention efforts. This article discusses the main reasons workers leave jobs and includes comments from metal fabricators about these reasons. It also includes tips for...

View this Issue	Fabricators in search of skilled workers Published: September 12, 2006 Tech Cell: Training and Retention A recent survey of metal fabricators shows that the vast majority of fabricating companies desperately need skilled labor. These companies are employing various methods to find qualified workers and to compensate for the shortage. Despite the...

View this Issue	Why settle for good enough? Published: August 20, 2006 Tech Cell: Training and Retention A survey reviewed the operations of 24 steel pipe and tube manufacturers. Only a minority of these showed signs of having well-run, efficient operations, as measured by on-time shipments, minimal inventory and work-in-progress, employee turnover,...

View this Issue	Tailoring incentives to employees' needs Published: August 20, 2006 Tech Cell: Training and Retention An appeal to business owners to look past bonuses to a new way of structuring incentives for their employees

View this Issue	The ups and downs of employee communication Published: August 20, 2006 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Author's Note: This article is a supplement to "Why settle for good enough?" which appeared in the December 2002 issue of TPJ-The Tube & Pipe Journal, page 42. "Why settle for good enough" was based on a study of 24 Midwestern tube and...

View this Issue	Culture matters: Employee-driven problem-solving Published: July 11, 2006 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Editor's Note: This column was prepared by the staff of Winning Workplaces, a not-for-profit organization that helps small and midsized businesses create better work environments. Ford Motor Co.'s and General Motors' supply chains have...

View this Issue	Productivity—The human factor Published: May 9, 2006 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Productivity, an economic bellwether, is predicted to slip from its recent highs in the coming months, largely because of job growth. Companies burned by the recent downturn need to continue to focus on achieving maximum productivity. This...

View this Issue	Editorial Advisory Board Roundtable Published: March 7, 2006 Tech Cell: Training and Retention The FABRICATOR invited the members of its Editorial Advisory Board together to discuss the state of skilled labor in North America and what the future looks like for tomorrow's fabricating and forming employees and employers.

View this Issue	Are you preparing for the worker skills gap? Published: March 7, 2006 Tech Cell: Training and Retention The skilled labor shortage many manufacturers already are experiencing is being joined by a skills gap as the aging work force retires and fewer young people pursue technical training. Manufacturers need to act now to cultivate and grow the...

View this Issue	Are you still settling for good enough? Published: February 7, 2006 Tech Cell: Training and Retention A study of executives at several tube and pipe fab shops revealed that the executives and managers are ensnared by four potential traps: talking instead of doing, failing to see the big picture, avoiding listening, and failing to communicate.

View this Issue	Finding direction for the welding industry Published: January 10, 2006 Tech Cell: Training and Retention The welding industry may be the only one forecast to show any growth between now and 2012, but growth in the U.S. is threatened by a number of factors: skilled worker shortages, welding rod litigation; and what some consider the need for greed...

View this Issue	Measuring up: Benchmarking your workplace practices Published: November 8, 2005 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Manufacturers that track and address the effectiveness of their workplace practices make recruiting and retaining talent a key part of their strategy—a huge competitive advantage.

View this Issue	Companies with solid training programs will survive the future Published: April 11, 2005 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Every week I receive a phone call that goes something like this: "I need someone in here to train my guys now. We're behind in filling our customers' orders; our defects are way up; we can't keep the equipment up and running; and the guy...

View this Issue	Not Your Parents' Workplace Published: March 8, 2005 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Editor's Note: This column was prepared by the staff of Winning Workplaces, a not-for-profit organization that helps small and midsized businesses create better work environments.

View this Issue	Balancing work and life Published: January 11, 2005 Tech Cell: Training and Retention To remain competitive in today's cutthroat economic environment, companies are doing more with fewer people. The tight job market can make even those employees whose work loads haven't increased feel they have to expend more effort—or even...

View this Issue	Leadership lessons from the forge Published: January 11, 2005 Tech Cell: Training and Retention One of the benefits of coaching individuals and teams across the country is that I have the opportunity to meet bright, insightful, and creative people. The inspiration and much of the content of this article come from one of those...

View this Issue	Wise words from the mountaintop—Part 12 Published: December 1, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Editor's Note: This is the twelfth episode in a mountaintop dialogue that Gerald has been having with a "wise business guru." They have been talking about establishing a continuous improvement program. "Continuous improvement," I grumbled....

View this Issue	U.S. manufacturing – A look at the future work force and its needs Published: November 9, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention When I entered the manufacturing work force more than 34 years ago, the work environment, work force, and the future of U.S. manufacturing looked a whole lot different.

View this Issue	Managing Success: The value of rewards Published: November 9, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Editor's Note: This column was prepared by the staff of Winning Workplaces, a not-for-profit organization that helps small and midsized businesses create better work environments. Employee reward programs can be a great way to motivate...

View this Issue	Wise words from the mountaintop—Part 11 Published: November 1, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Editor's Note: This is the eleventh episode in a mountaintop dialogue that Gerald has been having with a "wise business guru." He has been advised to develop a feedback system and to become a master of metrology. My guru missed my joking attempt...

View this Issue	Wise words from the mountaintop—Part 10 Published: October 12, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Editor's Note: This is the tenth episode in a mountaintop dialogue that Gerald has been having with a "wise business guru." They have been talking about understanding that your niche is only part of the strategic planning job. "Remind me of what...

View this Issue	Wise words from the mountaintop—Part 9 Published: September 14, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Editor's Note: This is the ninth episode in a mountaintop dialogue that Gerald has been having with a "wise business guru." They have been talking about business network tiers, and the guru has asked Gerald to identify which tier his job shop is...

View this Issue	Job Burnout—Part 3 Published: August 10, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention This is the last in a series of articles about job burnout. Part I discussed the causes. Part II covered symptoms and solutions from an individual standpoint. It also included a test to help you determine where you are in terms of...

View this Issue	Wise words from the mountaintop—Part 8 Published: August 10, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Editor's Note: This is the eighth episode in a mountaintop dialogue that Gerald has been having with a "wise business guru." They have been talking about communication among operator, machine, and management—the "work unit." I started to...

View this Issue	Job Burnout—Part 2 Published: July 13, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention If the amount of feedback Part I of this series generated is a good barometer, job burnout is a huge problem potentially affecting many workers at all levels. This article will help you determine if you're at risk or suffering from the...

View this Issue	Wise words from the mountaintop—Part 7 Published: July 13, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Editor's Note: This is the seventh episode in a mountaintop dialogue that Gerald has been having with a "wise business guru." They have been talking about sales training. "Why does it matter whether the sales staff understands this concept of...

View this Issue	The value of empowerment Published: July 13, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Editor's Note: This column was prepared by the staff of Winning Workplaces, a not-for-profit organization that helps small and midsized businesses create better work environments. Like many automotive stampers, Dowding Industries, an...

View this Issue	Wise words from the mountaintop—Part 6 Published: June 8, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Editor's Note: This is the sixth episode in a mountaintop dialogue that Gerald has been having with a "wise business guru." They had been talking about the contract period when doubts were raised about what his sales force was really selling. At...

View this Issue	Job Burnout—Part 1 Published: June 8, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention If you are employed, you're lucky to have a job. Perhaps you've heard this, thought it, or both. And it's true. With so many people out of work, it seems almost like biting the hand that feeds you to complain about your work conditions and...

View this Issue	Dealing with difficult people Published: May 4, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Have you ever felt frustrated or irritated with a co-worker, subordinate, or boss? We've all had the occasional run-in with someone at work. Periodic disagreements, misunderstandings, and faulty communication can lead to frustration. But have you...

View this Issue	Wise words from the mountaintop—Part 5 Published: May 4, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Editor's Note: This is the fifth episode in a mountaintop dialogue that Gerald has been having with a "wise business guru." They have been talking about throughput and the time line of money. "Now that you know the main events in the time line...

View this Issue	Wise words from the mountaintop—Part 4 Published: April 6, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Editor's Note: This is the fourth episode in a mountaintop dialog that Gerald has been having with a "wise business guru." They have been talking about customers and the time line of money.

View this Issue	Wise words from the mountaintop—Part 3 Published: March 11, 2004 Tech Cell: Training and Retention Editor's Note: This is the third episode in a mountaintop dialog that Gerald has been having with a "wise business guru." They have been talking about cash flow and the time line of money. I continued watching the beavers as they worked on their...

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