Posts

Richard Christianson

Woodwork Career Alliance Launches Drive to Enlist More MANufacturing™ Members

/0 Comments/in , /by

Jefferson MillworkMembership benefits include access to online training videos and instructional guides.


LINCOLN, Neb. – Wood product manufacturers looking for a solution to recruit, train, and retain skilled production employees should consider becoming a MANufacturing™ member of the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America (WCA).

The WCA MANufacturing membership is designed for forward-thinking woodworking companies willing to train, evaluate, and reward employees for growing their skill sets. The modest annual $250 MANufacturing membership subscription packs a lot of value.

Benefits include:

  • Credentialing – Develop a more cohesive in-house training program that incorporates the WCA Skill Standards and Passport credentialing system. Create individual employee pay incentives based on achieving measurable objectives in expanding their skill sets, making them more valuable members of your production team.
  • Training Tools – Gain access to online employee training materials, including instructional guides and videos created by seasoned woodworking educators.
  • Evaluator Training — WCA will train selected employees online as in-house Accredited Skill Evaluators to administer your credentialing program.
  • Customization — Optional customization of the program to fit your company’s needs including development of new skill standards to match your production equipment.
  • Promotion — Use of the WCA logo and brand on your website and communications. Make a bold statement to current and prospective employees, as well as your customers, that your company is committed to incorporating industry-vetted skill standards in your training program.

“The Woodwork Career Alliance was launched to develop a professional credentialing program to rival well-established programs in automotive, metal working, welding, and other skilled trades,” said WCA President Scott Nelson. “The WCA’s formative years were spent developing woodworking Skill Standards and credentialling programs. Over the last decade, hundreds of high school and postsecondary school woodworking programs have used the WCA Skill Standards to teach their students how to safely set up and operate key woodworking machinery based on industry best practices.

“We are now in the process of placing greater emphasis on working with professional woodworking companies of all sizes and types to adopt the WCA credentialing system to train their workforce,” Nelson added. “The ultimate goal is to help woodworking companies create career paths for production employees by rewarding them for improving and expanding their skills, and thus value to the company.”

Greg Larson, vice president of the WCA, said new online training programs are being developed that MANufacturing members can choose to use at an additional cost. “We are close to launching an online training module focused on math, measuring, and layout, important prerequisites for aspiring woodworkers. We plan to follow that up with modules devoted to topics including milling and machining, adhesives, and cabinet construction.”

MANufacturing is one of three major membership categories of the WCA. The other two are EDUcation™ and INDustry™ Sponsor.

Learn more and join the WCA as a MANufacturing member.

About the Woodwork Career Alliance
The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America was founded in 2007 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and is governed by a volunteer board of directors. The WCA’s mission is to develop and administer a unified set of Skill Standards for the wood products industry. Since 2011, WCA has developed observable and measurable performance standards and assessments for more than 300 woodworking machine operations. In addition, WCA has issued over 5,000 Passport credentials, a portable, personal permanent record documenting each holder’s record of woodworking skill achievements. More than 160 high schools and post-secondary schools throughout North America are WCA EDUcation™ members and a growing number of woodworking companies have joined the WCA as MANufacturing™ members. To learn more about the WCA and how to get involved with its programs, including sponsorship opportunities, visit WoodworkCareer.org.

Richard Christianson

Woodwork Career Alliance to Host How-to Train Woodworkers Workshop at IWF

/0 Comments/in , /by

Scott Neslon, left, and Bruce Spitz will present “Building a Training Program for Your Workers” at the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta.

NELLYSFORD, Va. – Two representatives of the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America (WCA) will present a nuts-and-bolts workshop focused on helping woodworking companies develop effective in-house training programs at the 2022 International Woodworking Fair.

The session, “Building a Training Program for Your Workers,” will be led by Scott Nelson, president of the WCA, and Bruce Spitz, former owner of Classic Millwork & Products and a member of the WCA Board of Directors. It is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Aug. 25 at the Georgia World Congress Center.

During the workshop, attendees will receive guidance for creating the first-year training template for new hires based on their production shop’s unique needs and incorporating the WCA Skill Standards.

They will also learn how to:
— Develop a pre-hire test required for job candidates before employment;

— Identify the knowledge base skills and machine skills required in the first two years of a hire’s employment;

— Identify the company’s requirements to be accomplished in 30, 60, 90 days, six months, and end of 1 year;

— Develop a method of training that is best suited for their company and create standard operating procedures to facilitate the training program; and

— Access quality training resources.

Attendees of this program are eligible for a $100 discount on a one-year MANufacturing™ membership of the WCA, a 40% savings.

“According to a workforce study we helped conduct last year, 40 percent of woodworking companies have no established formal training program for their production workers. Most companies rely on one-on-one mentorship, which can detract from production output,” Nelson said. “Considering how challenging it is to find and retain qualified workers, it really is essential that companies develop in-house training programs tailored to their specific requirements to minimize hiring headaches and hiccups on the shop floor.”

Register to attend this session, WRK2, at IWFAtlanta.com.

About the Woodwork Career Alliance
The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America was founded in 2007 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and is governed by a volunteer board of directors. The WCA’s mission is to develop and administer a unified set of Skill Standards for the wood products industry. Since 2011, WCA has developed observable and measurable performance standards and assessments for more than 300 woodworking machine operations. In addition, WCA has issued over 4,000 Passport credentials, a portable, personal permanent record documenting each holder’s record of woodworking skill achievements. More than 150 high schools and post-secondary schools throughout North America are WCA EDUcation™ members and a growing number of woodworking companies have joined the WCA as MANufacturing™ members. To learn more about the WCA and how to get involved with its programs, including sponsorship opportunities, visit WoodworkCareer.org.

Scott Nelson

President’s Message: Thanks to Our Supporters and How You Can Become One

/0 Comments/in , /by

AWFS 2017 was a very busy and successful show for the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America. We signed up four new schools for the 2017-2018 school year, three new MANufacturing™ members and obtained leads for an additional half-dozen MANufacturing members at the show in Las Vegas.

WCA was also presented a check for $751 at the AWFS Fair from Vero Software from the sale of a custom T-shirt. This donation followed $2,740 raised during a silent auction in April at the Woodworking Industry Conference organized by the Woodworking Machinery Industry Association and the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America. Both of these generous donations will benefit our Education Fund.

Whenever possible please support and recognize these outstanding industry supporters of WCA’s educational efforts.

In this edition of Pathways, WCA proudly announces the launch of its redesigned website: www.woodworkcareer.org. This is just our second generation of the website and I think you will find it more pleasing to the eye and easier to navigate. Please visit the site and let us know what you think.

In launching the website, I am also pleased to note that we have revised some of our membership categories. We have changed the name of our INDustry Member to MANufacturing Member and have added the category of INDustry™ Supporter. The INDustry Supporter category provides a way for manufacturers and distributors of woodworking machinery and supplies and other industry stakeholders to support the WCA. We have many schools and students who want to participate in the WCA credentialing program that have financial limitations preventing them from doing so.

Your yearly INDustry Supporter subscription will help defray the program cost for the school of your choice. If you do not have a particular school in mind that you want to help, your $250 annual subscription will go to a general fund to help schools and/or students in need of a helping hand.

INDustry Supporters will also have the opportunity to take advantage of our new sponsorship packages. Each sponsorship package – Bronze, Silver and Gold – comes with a progressively greater number of perks that will help the sponsor stand out in the marketplace as a supporter of the WCA and workforce development. Click here to learn more WCA sponsorship opportunities.

I hope everyone has a great Holiday Season!!!

Scott Nelson
President
Woodwork Career Alliance of North America
snelsonwca@gmail.com