Help wanted: Qualified workers
By Ray Kulwiec -- Modern Materials Handling, 8/1/1999
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal described the growing use of refugees by hotels to fill positions for which there were otherwise no takers. Although traditionally many of the hotel positions, especially in the Southwest, were filled by immigrants from Mexico and Central America, increasingly they are being filled by refugees from places such as Bosnia and Kosovo, who are actively sought by hotel personnel.
This is just another example of the difficulty of finding personnel in today's ultra-tight labor market. And the situation is much more acute in manufacturing industries, where workers are needed with higher skill levels than those commonly brought to lower-tier hotel jobs.
In fact, the National Skill Standards Board (NSSB) was created by Congress to develop performance specs that identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities an individual must have to succeed in the workplace. Such standards would provide a common vocabulary to enhance communication among employers, employees, job seekers, schools, and job training programs. To further its work, last year the NSSB established a Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC), a voluntary industry partnership that is charged with identifying and implementing skill standards in manufacturing and related industries.
At a recent meeting of the group in Detroit, General Motors CEO John F. Smith, Jr. discussed the importance of skill standards to American industry. Smith said that because we now compete in a global economy, it is more important than ever to ensure that the education and skills of our work force are competitive with those in other countries. Smith said GM fully supports the board's work, and is heavily involved in helping to develop and apply new manufacturing standards.
It's a good start. This initiative, I believe, needs broad support from industry and labor. For further information about the group and the standards work, visit their website, www.nssb.org. We need action like this to help solve the serious worker shortage problem.
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