Bringing Skilled Workers to Your Business/Raising Industry Standards

NTMA is positioned to meet the employment challenges facing our industry in two important ways:

By raising industry standards through education and training;and

By helping our members attract and retain the highly skilled workforce they need to run successful businesses.

We Accomplish This by Providing

• Training and education programs on both the national and local chapter level. Employer-directed training programs improve skills and knowledge. Programs directed at potential employees encourage new careers in the industry and provide them with the skills to succeed.
• Training aids and material. This material is designed to help our member firms recruit, train and develop their own employees into highly skilled workers.

Training for Your Future

NTMA has a distinguished record of industry-wide training leadership. The NTMA Apprentice Program was first registered with the Department of Labor in 1956. Since 1964, we have developed new instruction techniques and materials for both high school and post secondary programs.

Our Metalworking Training System (MTS) is the first complete and affordable curriculum for precision machining that satisfies all the associated theory requirements of a 4-year apprenticeship. The MTS consists of 320 teaching modules organized around a two-hour lesson plan format. A series of specialized instructional texts support this curriculum. Teams of industry experts assisted by educators create all NTMA materials.

In addition, NTMA chapters throughout the U.S. organize and support regional training programs to develop a more competent workforce. Specific involvement includes:

• NTMA chapters currently sponsor nine (9) regional training centers and support 11 partnership programs with community colleges that offer both apprentice training and continuing education for current employees.
• NTMA is the lead organization in the national metalworking skill standards project for precision machining.
• NTMA supports the VICA Skills USA championship competitions in Automated Manufacturing Technology and Precision Machining.
• NTMA regularly organizes national conferences that bring together company owners, educators and government officials to discuss skilled workforce issues.

Recruiting and Public Relations

Want to help bring young people into the industry? NTMA offers a variety of information pamphlets and career packets to help build the industry's public image. Or you might want to use one of our popular career exploration videos like "Go For It!", "Manufacturing Technology", or "Tooling - A Winning Economy" as you visit schools or talk to local PTA's in your area.

These components help answer common questions posed by "outsiders" as well as effectively present metalworking as an exciting and attractive career option

Testing for Aptitude - Before You Hire

NTMA offers a fee-based Entry Employee Aptitude Testing Service that will help you make a good hiring decision. Good decisions are important to our business because they can reduce training time and turnover, increase productivity and prevent legal problems. This validated testing service is part of NTMA's Employee Selection Service and it evaluates aptitude, not achievement. It measures a person's readiness to learn and develop proficiency, and it attempts to predict future performance.