Manufacturing Skills Standards Survey

The Oregon Department of Education is seeking input on the skills desired of entry-level job candidates in the Manufacturing sector. Your feedback will be used to update the standards that career and technical education (CTE) teachers and faculty in Oregon consult when designing coursework. The survey asks you to rate…

Most manufacturers are familiar with the widening ‘skills gap.’ This is a multifaceted issue that includes Baby Boomer and Gen X generations retiring, lack of focused professional development and sufficient on-the-job training, and lost opportunities to capture intellectual and institutional knowledge among other things. OMEP has been hearing from manufacturers…

Many studies have cited the skills shortage as a reason manufacturers can’t find or keep workers. While there is no denying that the traded sectors are having difficulty attracting and finding talent compared to other industries, consider that old-school recruiting and training strategies may be the culprit. Manufacturers who complain…

PCC OMIC Training Center is developing a Mechatronics program to be delivered in the Fall. This training will be a non-credit program aimed at upskilling your technician workforce. As they are finalizing this program over the next few weeks, they are looking for your partnership and support in these three areas:…

OMEP is pleased to announce the second season of our new collaborative podcast, Manufacturing Matters Oregon. Hosted by our very own Linda Wechsler,  this podcast is dedicated to telling the stories of Northwest manufacturers. USiA and KAM Apparel Episode one of our second…

Manufacturing companies in the Pacific Northwest are diverse, ranging from food production to microchips and everything in between, but one thing all manufacturers have in common is a desire to maximize effort, time, and money. Wherever your manufacturing business is in its lifecycle, you can tap…

A portion of this article was originally created by NIST MEP and is featured on the Manufacturing Innovation Blog  Manufacturing Day is Back Given the limitations with public gatherings and social distancing practices prompted by the current pandemic, it’s uncertain whether manufacturers will be hosting traditional on-site tours…

During my time as a consultant at OMEP, I partnered with many successful manufacturers over the years. While their products and industry sectors varied, the determination shown by each business leader to continually improve required the same level of dedication and commitment. Manufacturing is a challenging industry, but these men…

As Oregon begins reopening, things are going to be a little different in the workplace – especially for manufacturers. Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen many questions about how to safely operate, and what social distancing should look like on the factory floor. The idea of maintaining a minimum…

As business leaders who are dealing with uncertainty, the ability to remain calm during this time is an opportunity to strengthen your relationships with staff and clients for the long term. During my last webinar I shared my thoughts about leadership during uncertain times, based on my own experience…