Take Advantage of Finishing Industry Educational Opportunities

You hear it all the time. One of the most common concerns in the finishing industry is the shortage of skilled labor. Almost every facility we visit talks about not just finding employees, but the investments necessary for training and maintaining technicians who can operate finishing production lines.

In this special Ask the Expert installment on industry education, we’re rounding up recent advice for training opportunities and cultivating your team.

Q: What advice do you have for training employees?

Training is an ongoing process. It’s important to make sure your employees are adequately trained on their job, and it can be highly beneficial to do cross-training for employees. Many shops report that fully cross-trained employees bring increased value to the company because they can look at the bigger picture and help in multiple areas. This can lead to improved quality and efficiency. Evaluate skillsets regularly to identify employees that can serve the company in additional roles. Encourage honest input and communication from all members of your shop. Line operators can be a gold mine of information as they observe the process continuously, notice when something isn’t right, and can provide valuable feedback based on their perspective. Tapping into your team’s expertise can help control staff turnover, identify areas of concern, and improve employee morale. From a technical standpoint, be sure to provide training to your employees on the chemistry. Many chemical suppliers offer material or training programs to help with this effort. Employees who better understand the chemistry being used, how it functions, and how to troubleshoot it can help maintain plating quality and line throughput.

— Tom Mastalerz, business development manager, Columbia Chemical

Q: I want to improve the skill set of my team, but am on the fence about investing in outside training. Do you have any advice for getting the most out of training opportunities?

An investment in training most often becomes a waste of money because of what happens when the employees return to work afterward. The employees just learned a lot of good ideas from highly professional and experienced trainers. The things they learned made sense to them. But all of this learning is only a good investment if their boss listens and reacts properly. 

If the ideas brought back from a training event elicit responses like “we can’t do that, it’s too expensive” or “we don’t have the time to do that” from management, the training was all for naught. The employee effectively learns that attending the workshop was a waste of time. Worse than that, he hears the message that his company is not willing to support him in making his job better and his efficiency higher. This type of scenario can result in a very negative mindset that is not conducive to highly effective employees.

Investing in the training of your employees is a good thing, but don’t stop there. The follow-up work of taking the information they’ve learned and applying it to your operation in some way is the real way to make such an investment worthwhile. 

— John Cole, president, Parker Ionics

Q: How can I learn about training opportunities available for finishers?

The National Surface Finishing Association (NASF) offers a whole host of training courses covering electroplating topics. Through its AESF Educational Foundation, the NASF offers various learning platforms including classroom courses, web-based courses, and home study courses, all geared toward those working in, or aspiring to work in, the finishing industry. The AESF is regarded as the gold standard in finishing industry education and offers industry certifications including CEF (Certified Electroplater Finisher) and MSF (Master Surface Finisher). You can learn more about training opportunities offered by the NASF by visiting nasf.org/education

The Powder Coating Institute (PCI) offers myriad training opportunities for those interested in working in the powder coating industry. You can learn about the Institute’s educational events and training opportunities by visiting powdercoating.org/events.

The Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI) is another excellent source of information for those interested in working in the finishing industry. Through its Chemical Coaters Association International Finishing Education Foundation (CCAIFEF), a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization, the Association provides a wide variety of educational programming, events, online courses and scholarships aimed at fostering workforce initiatives within the finishing industry.

Visit ccaiweb.com to learn more.

— Scott Francis, editor-in-chief, Products Finishing