Managers, leaders say on-the-job training needed to improve workforce quality

MICHIGAN CITY | Landing a production job at Hearthside Food Solutions LLC about 13 months ago was a godsend for James Swistek.

After being without work for two years, Swistek took a skills assessment through WorkOne and found that he could be a good fit for the job — if he received additional training. Having manufacturing experience helped him get in the door, but Swistek said his desire to learn the intricacies of plant operations and willingness to upgrade other skills has made him valuable.

"I put a lot of hours in," said Swistek, 39, of Michigan City. "I worked on the machines and figured out a lot of settings or how things work and I'm able to use my knowledge to run the machines well and train people."

Local hiring managers and workforce development officials say firms should consider boosting their on-the-job training and skills development programs to boost the quality of the region's labor force.

Program funds may come and go, but Sandy Alvarez, of the Center of Workforce Innovations, said there are a number of tools available for employers to increase their competitiveness. Alvarez, business service manager for the regional operator of the state's WorkOne program, said some firms have been wary about applying for government-funded workforce programs because of the perceived "daunting" paperwork and time commitment concerns.

Job profiling and having applicants take skills exams such as WorkKeys can help reduce turnover by 30 to 60 percent, said Keith Hamilton, an Anderson, Ind.-based regional corporate college program manager for Ivy Tech Community College. Through these processes, he said, new hires are less likely to get frustrated and quit or be fired because of poor performance.

Hamilton said the state was able to negotiate a contract to allow Indiana businesses and schools to be able to access education training software for free in the next few years.  

Since starting prescreening assessment and employee training programs in the fall, Jessica Burton, human resources manager at Calumet Abrasives Co. Inc. in Hammond, said the company has hired at least eight employees. The company, which employs 78 people and makes cutting wheels for industrial tools, had limited success without doing more extensive prescreening.

Burton said the company also benefited from Hamilton creating an assessment of key positions the company wanted to fill. Then, based on skill sets, employees could be placed in certain positions or be part of self-guided training.

John Anderson, owner of Calumet Abrasives, has seen many employees at his firm and said long term he would like to see schools doing more to improve students' math performance and problem-solving skills.

"Schools are no longer teaching practical education," Anderson said. "We are producing products for a (world) economy. We're a little bit disappointed with what the school system is doing. They cannot provide the skills that (we) need to compete."

Hearthside Food Solutions, a snack food and baked goods maker employing 425 people at the Michigan City plant, was able to tap a $30,000 grant to cover half of some workers' salaries hired through WorkOne for a few months while they went through training programs, said Bob Wojcik, plant manager.

Since new hires may not come to the company with experience in baking or food production, training is key to familiarize them with the operation, said human resources director Juan Aguirre.

"What we've been able to do is that it's our employees who are able to do the training without adding to the staff," Aguirre said.

The experience Hearthside's Swistek gained has helped him carve a career direction. He is now studying culinary arts at Ivy Tech Community College and plans to get a degree from Purdue University Calumet's hospitality and tourism management program.

"When you get with a good company, you know you want to stick around," Swistek said. "They're a really good company and I'm thankful for WorkOne giving me the opportunity to get in there and I'm thankful to Hearthside."