The Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) has frequently pressed for better training of the next generation of workers.  Simply put, manufacturing has become an increasingly high-tech occupation, and the U.S. needs a properly trained workforce in order to compete globally.

In an article in Business Finance, Joanne Sammer asks whether compaines can realistically expect to find ready-trained workers, or whether they need to invest in on-the-job training:

Adding to the problem is that companies are unwilling to invest in training new employees. Instead, they are looking for people who already have the desired experience and skills. “Everybody wants somebody with three to five years’ experience,” says Cappelli. “What they’re really after are the skills that you can’t learn in a classroom, that you can only learn by doing the job itself.” He once again points to accounting systems that do not provide companies with information on how much it would cost to train someone based on their existing skill set. “[Employers] have no idea whether they’re actually saving money by trying to chase these people who already have jobs and hire them,” says Cappelli.

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