Third Annual FMA Conference to Address Leadership and Innovation in Training, Hiring & Retaining Skilled Manufacturing Employees

ROCKFORD, Ill., May 1, 2014 – It’s rare for manufacturers and educators to meet and work on solving a common problem.  But that’s exactly what happens each year at FMA’s T.E.A.M. Summit: Where Technology Educators And Manufacturers Collaborate on Closing the Skills Gap. This year the conference will take place at Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College in Ogden, Utah May 19-21.

Several years ago when industry employers were surveyed by FMA, more than 80% of responding manufacturers said that what FMA needed to do to help solve the skilled labor hiring issue faced by the industry was to work more closely with community and technical colleges, trade schools and universities to help develop appropriate skills training and viable certifications.  Thus the plan was born to bring concerned employers together with technology educators from across America and facilitate their collaboration.  Each year the Summit focuses its work on a specific topic – this year’s topic is Leadership and Innovation.

The conference will include an opening keynote presentation by Diane Thielfoldt, founder of The Learning Café in Charleston, S.C. on the challenges presented by having four generations of workers together in the workplace, and how to move the youngest employees into leadership positions.  She will also moderate a panel of employers who are currently engaged in these activities.  The closing keynote will be presented by Jason Scales, Welding Education Specialist at Lincoln Electric who will speak on a non-traditional approach to developing learning systems that may better suit the needs of today’s employers.

The host school, Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College was chosen as the site of this year’s conference because it offers a unique an innovative approach to manufacturing training that is entirely competency-based.  This time and cost-effective method has been embraced by employers throughout Utah as meeting their needs for skilled employees and they will be presenting a detailed view of exactly how their system works.

The Summit consists primarily of peer-to-peer learning sessions utilizing round table and panel formats.  In addition, the group will travel to two unique Ogden-area employers for insight into how each operates and what they are doing to overcome the skilled labor shortage.  The companies visited will be JD Machine, a machining and fabrication shop that is one of Utah’s Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies and Barnes Aerospace Fabrications which produces precision machined and fabricated components and assemblies for turbine engines, nacelles, airframes and industrial gas turbines throughout the world.

Manufacturing company leaders and HR managers interested in participating in the T.E.A.M. Summit can register to attend online at www.fmanet.org/teamsummit, via phone by calling 888-394-4362, or on-site at the event.  Members of the Utah

Manufacturers Association may register at the FMA member price of $365, general registration is $520.

About FMA

Based in Rockford, Ill., FMA is a professional organization with nearly 2,300 members working together to improve the metal fabricating and forming industry. Founded in 1970, FMA brings metal fabricators and fabricating equipment manufacturers together through technology councils, educational programs, networking events, and the FABTECH^® trade show. FMA also has two technology affiliates, the Tube & Pipe Association, International (TPA), which focuses on the unique needs of companies engaged in tube and pipe producing and fabricating; and Sustainable Manufacturer Network, a professional organization of individual members dedicated to working toward environmentally-friendly manufacturing.

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Contact
Patricia Lee
Public Relations Director,
Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl. (FMA)
patl@fmanet.org
+1-815-227-8286