Education & Training

There is a great amount of attention being given to the current need for a skilled workforce.  In my nearly 11 years here with MCC’s Precision Machining Program I have never seen so much growth and had so many companies contacting me to find skilled employees.  We had an overflow enrollment for our full time day classes this fall, starting forty new students in the program.  Some of these will be ready to graduate with a certificate this May and some will continue on one more year for the A.A.S. degree.  We will see about 25 students graduate this spring total.  Unfortunately, there are companies that could potentially hire all 25, (not likely,) because they have that much need!  Twenty five graduates barely scratches the surface of the need in the Greater Rochester area.  So what can companies do?

More and more companies are looking at apprenticeships again.  This model has almost disappeared in the USA but has remained a standard way of doing business in Europe, because it works.  There are very few experienced people currently looking for employment and many companies will lose some of their best talent in the next five years to retirement.  Now is the time to find people with strong work ethics and a desire to learn a career and start training them.  MCC is still working hard at recruitment, but we cannot meet the immense need for our local manufacturers.  Companies need to take advantage of MCC’s training facility and coursework to help train their new, skilled workforce.  In an apprenticeship you get to teach new employees the skills specific to your company by people who are experienced and successful while on the job during the day.  In the evening those employees can attend MCC’s classes to get the specialized knowledge to allow them to grow in the machining field.  MCC is also capable of customizing class delivery times and dates to accommodate companies that are training many employees.  We can also work with a cohort of companies that may only have one or two people themselves, but when added to a group of other students from other companies it’s enough to do a customized delivery time.

The skilled worker shortage is already almost crisis level and it’s only going to get worse in the next few years.  The companies that have the workforce they need five years from now are starting today to find the right people to hire and train.  MCC’s Precision Machining Program was started by the RTMA in 1968 and is still here to supply the education necessary to create a strong skilled workforce.  We have an apprentice coordinator, Pam Kone, who can help you get started setting up an apprenticeship.  Don’t wait until you have the time to train, that time never exists!  Start now to have the people you need tomorrow.

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