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5/22/2007 - MMA Marks Manufacturing Week with Unveiling of Workforce Training Needs Study

JACKSON, Miss. (May 22, 2007) — The Mississippi Manufacturers Association marked the third annual Manufacturing Week in Mississippi by releasing results of a recent survey evaluating the workforce training needs of Mississippi manufacturers. MMA President and CEO Jay C. Moon, CEcD, was joined by Gov. Haley Barbour and F. Clarke Holmes, CEO of the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District and executive board member of the State Workforce Investment Board, at a news conference held today at the Double G Coatings manufacturing facility in Jackson. “To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive compilation of manufacturers’ workforce training needs that has ever been prepared in Mississippi,” said Moon. “Key to the success and credibility of this project is that it was developed with direct input from and had a 70 percent response rate from Mississippi manufacturers.” “I am proud of the leadership demonstrated by manufacturers in Mississippi, whose operations serve to improve the quality of life for our citizens,” said Gov. Haley Barbour. “While tremendous improvements also have been made in the state’s delivery of educational and workforce training services, it is important that we continually explore how to make our system even better. “This comprehensive survey identifies elements that can produce even more responsive workforce training programs to help current and future manufacturing operations achieve their highest potential, along with growing numbers of manufacturing jobs,” Barbour said. The survey was conducted by Mississippi State University’s Social Science Research Center with a grant awarded by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security and the U.S. Department of Labor. The goal of the study was to identify opportunities and challenges that manufacturers face in the current business environment in meeting their current and future workforce needs. The study explored areas such as recruitment and retention, educational and training requirements, and delivery of workforce development programs. “The most important key to Mississippi’s short- and long-term growth depends heavily on our ability to produce the kind of workforce that can face increasing competition in the rapidly developing global marketplace,” said Moon. Highlights of the study include the following:

• A high-performance workforce was seen as the top factor projected to be important to the business success of Mississippi manufacturers over the next three years.
• Manufacturers face the problem of a lack of an integrated workforce training system designed to meet the needs of manufacturers.
• Mississippi’s current educational system does not adequately prepare the required high-performance workforce for the jobs of the future in manufacturing.
• Employee shortages and skills deficiencies bring about difficulty in maintaining production levels consistent with customer demands and achieving productivity targets.
• The vast majority of manufacturers engage in training activities in order to remain competitive.

The manufacturers survey is the first part of a three-phase study being conducted by MMA. Currently, a pilot program is being developed in conjunction with MSU to determine how best to capitalize on university resources available to manufacturers. The third phase will address the future needs for a skilled workforce in the state by informing students of the challenging and rewarding careers available in manufacturing.

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