PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE: EMPLOYEE TRAINING TO PROVIDE SKILLED WORK FORCE

Bruce Bird, left, stood with graduates Leo Adams and Chris Conklin and carpenters district Council of Greater St. Louis representative Steven Markus.

M & W packaging graduates Roger Petzoldt, left, Kenny Jones, Pat Kaelin, stood with M & W manager Paul Wieldlin.

The Southeast Missouri Industrial Training Group program, a project designed to provide more skilled workers in the immediate Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City area, is making a difference.

More than 175 workers are in employee-training programs to enhance their technical, mechanical, electrical and electronic skills.

Eighteen workers graduated from the program last week, in a ceremony held at the Cape Girardeau Vocational Technical School.

Employers throughout the area have embarked on employee-training programs to provide their own skilled labor force.

Pat Hagan, chairman of the SEMO Regional Industrial Training Group here, said the training group is making a visible difference.

"The employees have become more productive," said Hagan, who emceed the graduation program. "The training is extensive and it helps keep people growing all the time," Hagan said.

Hagan, head of training at Dana Corp., and Bev Hickam, adult education supervisor at the Vo-Tech School, and facilitator of the of the industrial training program, explained the project.

More than a dozen employers in the Cape Girardeau area are involved in the training group, which was founded more than two years ago. The group, which represents more than 5,000 employees, include:

-- Biokyowa Inc.

-- Dana Corp.

-- Golden Cat

-- Foamex

-- Gregory Construction

-- K&K Electric

-- Lone Star Industries

-- M&W Packaging.

-- Procter and Gamble Paper Products.

-- Carpenters District Council of Greater St. Louis and Vicinity, including Cape Girardeau.

-- Lee-Rowan Co.

-- Bloomsdale Excavating Co. Inc.

-- S&W Cabinets.

-- Mineral Area College.

The employers work together with the Cape Girardeau Vocational-Technical School.

Associate members include the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, the Cape Girardeau Area Recruitment Association, AmerenUE and Southeast Missouri State University.

Hagan said, "We have the curriculum. We have the training facilities and equipment to provide training in a number of areas."

The group has focused on mechanical and electronics training and has developed a curriculum and obtained training machines to address the area's needs.

During last week's graduation ceremony, held at the Vo-Tech School, a dozen graduates received certificates in mechanical training, and six received certificates in electronics.

"These certificates are recognized by all the companies," said Hickam.

The new training equipment -- in a couple of Vo-Tech School classrooms in the Town Plaza Shopping Center -- allows instructors to simulate a number of activities necessary in various manufacturing operations, said Hagan. The trainers can be used to illustrate equipment effectiveness, maintenance and trouble-shooting skills.

The large training equipment includes a "Hydraulic Training" simulator, a mechanical trainer and an electrical-mechanical trainer that simulates a production line.,

The training equipment also includes magnetic starters, various switches, a couple of electrical motors, a small air compressor, chain puller, ball bearings and other items.

"This is a great program," said John Mehner, Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive officer, who was guest speaker at last week's graduation ceremony. "It provides training for employees for their jobs and helps keep existing industries going. That's one of our top priorities."

The program offers an opportunity for people to work with professional technicians from other companies, said Harold Tilley, director of the Vo-Tech School. "The program has built a program that meets a lot of adult training techniques."

Initial funding for the group came from a grant, requested by the MAC Customized Training Department. The grant funding was secured through Customized Training at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Each company that belongs pays a fee ranging from $750 up, depending on the amount of employees. The group was organized as a not-for-profit organization and involves the use of training facilities at the Vo-Tech school.

Making employees better-informed and more efficient are aims of the group, its organizers say.

"We saw a need to bring the industries together," said Orville Krauss, a coordinator for the group at the Cape Girardeau Vo-Tech school.

It's been very successful. Krauss said, "We started with a small group of three companies and in three years we've grown to 13. The companies immediately began to recognize how beneficial the group is."

Training is available in a number of areas, including mechanical-based skills, electronics basics, mechanical math and electronic math.

The industries think the training is a more cost-effective way to train groups together, as opposed to individual training, said Tilley, adding: "It's been very well received."

"It's a program long needed," said Larry Dillon, of Dana Corp., who was at the graduation ceremony in place of Dave Blanchard, manager of the Dana facility here. "We found that one of the things missing here was a maintenance skills training program. We have that now."

The program brings industries together, added Dillon.

Steve Marcus and Bruce Bird, both of the Carpenter's Group, are excited about the program.

"We needed more technical training for our members," said Bird. "We've supported the program all along. It provides great training for carpenters and millwrights."

"We didn't have anything before," said Steve Leus, of Long Star Industries. "This is a great program and it will get better."

Kathy Brown, manager of Procter & Gamble, and Paul Wiedlin, M&W Packaging, agree.

"It's something that was needed," said Brown.

"The employees have accepted it," said Wiedlin. "They're donating a lot of their free time to study in order to improve their skills."

The Wednesday graduates represented five of the sponsoring companies.

The graduates:

Carpenters Council -- Leo Adams and Chris Conklin.

Dana Corp. -- Fred Hutchinson, David Mitchell, Steve Keele and Todd Kester.

Lone Star: -- David Seyer, Rogers Siebert, Everett Wareing and Dennis Scherer.

M&W Packaging -- Kenny Jones, Patrick Kaelin, Steven Leimbach, Daniel Steffens, Jack Thompson, Roger Petzolds and Stephen Wright.

Procter and Gamble -- Randy Behrle.