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When You Prioritize Workforce Development, You Empower Your Team

Discover how to attract, engage and hold on to the next generation of workers.

Posted: August 21, 2024

Weiler Abrasives now offers a Brush Maker career pathway. Under the initiative, employees known as “champion” trainers complete 30 hours of course work so they can train new hires and re-train co-workers.

Welding students from Alma Bryant High School (Irvington, Ala.) on a site visit at Ingalls Shipbuilding, which supports the school’s welding academy with equipment, and welders who work with the students. Twice a year, Ingalls Shipbuilding invites welding students to visit the shipyard where they view different crafts including welding, electric, scaffold building, crane operations, rigging and carpentry.

Weiler Abrasives is developing version 2.0 of the Weiler Virtual World VR training, which will be available to the broader public by the beginning of next year. The biggest improvement is the ability to access the training from different platforms enabling more users to download the training and use it on their own VR equipment.

Weiler, Fabtech, brush maker — Welding students from Alma Bryant High School (Irvington, Ala.) on a site visit at Ingalls Shipbuilding, which supports the school’s welding academy with equipment, and welders who work with the students. Twice a year, Ingalls Shipbuilding invites welding students to visit the shipyard where they view different crafts including welding, electric, scaffold building, crane operations, rigging and carpentry.

Workforce challenges present great challenges and even greater opportunities for shop owners, not to mention the future of the metalworking industry. Manufacturers are proactively putting in the work to develop or strengthen workforce training programs and initiatives to ensure they not only attract but engage their workers, as well as provide pathways for advancement.

Weiler Abrasives, an industry leader and global manufacturer of surface conditioning solutions, is strengthening its workforce training and retraining programs with two effective methods. In one approach, Weiler Virtual World, a virtual reality tool engages future operators and operators, offering instruction on how to work safely with abrasives in their everyday work environments.

Back in the “real world,” Weiler is underway with the newly developed Brush Maker career pathway training initiative at its Cresco, Pa., location. “Champion” trainers, who are also working on the shop floor, complete course work and training to become culture champions at the company, exhibiting the Weiler Way, and leading their peers through their example.

The Brush Maker career program supports Weiler Abrasives as the company moves from a scattershot approach to training (there are 76 different manufacturing operations) to one that is organized into career blocks, which represent a career step forward.

FABTECH: North America’s One-stop Venue

Workforce-related topics continue to dominate training sessions at industry-related seminars, workshops and trade show events, including this month’s IMTS 2024 show in Chicago, September 9-14, and the annual FABTECH show, which is being held for the first time in Orlando, Fla., October 15-17.

Keeping with the theme of placing a priority on workforce development, this year FABTECH is launching the new Emerging Leaders Program to provide the next generation of leaders in the manufacturing industry with vital leadership skills and insights. “Tailored for individuals aged 20-35, the participants will take part in a three-day schedule that includes sessions that provide hands-on learning experiences and networking opportunities,” said Tracy Garcia, CEM, group director – FABTECH Series at SME. “Our aim is to provide young professionals with the skills and insights needed to drive innovation, enhance their leadership capabilities, and contribute to the future success of their organizations.”

Industry events help businesses in the metalworking sector prepare for the future, allowing them to foster innovation and remain resilient in a constantly evolving manufacturing sector.

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Rachel Duran

Rachel Duran is the editor of Fabricating & Metalworking. She can be contacted by emailing [email protected] or by calling 1-866-832-8473, ext. 108.

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