ojt | Community College Workforce Alliance

February 10, 2016

Do job applicants have the skills your organization needs?

It’s easy to read the news today and see a reference to the widening skills gap. What’s hard is to figure out how to close that gap.

“Skills gap” describes the mismatch between the skills employers need and the skills that job seekers have. While the term is commonly referenced in the manufacturing industry, it applies to industries across the board from technology to healthcare to engineering. What if a program could provide the opportunity for job seekers to close the skills gap, thereby giving employers access to a more qualified applicant pool? And what if that program also provided funding to the employer to offset the costs of training the new employee?

Workplace Wisdom: Organizational Recruitment Pipeline

In today’s market, employers are looking to hire the most qualified candidates, but they are faced with an applicant pool that is often lacking in the necessary skills and experience. The OJT program provides an opportunity for job seekers to bridge the skills gap, while giving employers access to a more qualified applicant pool and funding to offset the costs of training a new employee.

Q: How can On-The-Job Training Support the Organizational Recruitment Pipeline?

A: Gone are the days of only offering internships and cooperative education to entry-level employees. “On-the-Job” training (OJT) programs can assist employers who are looking to expand and who need additional staff trained with specialized skills. Incumbent workers eager to learn new skills and up-skill for promotions can benefit from OJT opportunities.

Community College Workforce Alliance Named VMA Partner of the Year

The Manufacturing Skills Institute(MSI) announced today that the Community College Workforce Alliance (CCWA) has earned the 2015 VMA Partner of the Year Award for its outstanding leadership in increasing access to industry certifications in the Central Virginia region of the Commonwealth. CCWA partners with industry to deliver the MSI Manufacturing Technician Level 1 (MT1) certificate program onsite at companies as well as its college campuses.

“CCWA has created a service delivery model that incorporates both the skills needs of manufacturers and the employment needs of individuals by creating training cohorts of job candidates that receive a customized connection with employers upon MT1 program completion and attainment of the MSI nationally recognized MT1 certification,” said Katherine DeRosear, MSI Executive Director. “CCWA understands the value of industry credentials as a way in which individuals can signal they are ‘manufacturing work ready’ and companies appreciate the return on value in the hiring marketplace.”

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