Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

All organizations struggle with hiring, retaining and facilitating ongoing knowledge and skills development to support adequately trained employees, a challenge exacerbated by the current COVID-19 crisis. Our Professional Development contract training program works with an organization’s current workforce assisting in needs assessment, program development, and delivery of identified, relevant, targeted training to increase employee competency. This empowers employees to be more effective and expand into internal opportunities for advancement. Without the opportunity to train up an existing workforce, organizations find production or growth stifled! Our custom training provides the opportunity to grow, improve processes, and invest in employees, so organizations may see improved employee engagement and retention, decreasing costly employee turnover.

Workers Become Full-Line Competent with Custom Assembly-to-Final-Test Electronics Development Program

LAM engaged our Contracted Training program to develop a condensed program to cross-train test assembly workers to meet specific objectives of LAM production and provide on-site delivery to meet their complex manufacturing schedule. The program was designed to support employees from the beginning to the end of the production line increasing the employees’ technical skills and competency. Training to date has resulted in upskilling assembly workers who are now full-line competent and poised for further responsibility.

• Challenge: Technical training for test assembly workers
• Effect: Lack of capacity limiting production and ability to service the full assembly line
• Solution: Customized training to provide knowledge and skill transfer to support employee performance from beginning to end of the line production
• Outcomes: Increased technical skills of test assemblers allowing them to work full the assembly line

Custom Training Program Improves Pass Rate for Apprenticeship Program

TriMet’s workforce includes a Limited Maintenance Electrician (LME) Apprenticeship program. Previously at the conclusion of the program, the apprentices had limited success in passing the State Exam. Despite focused efforts, they struggled to increase their pass rates. To remedy this, TriMet partnered with our Contracted Training program to develop a four-year LME Apprenticeship program and deliver it on an ongoing basis with annual entry points for new apprentices. To support evolving training requirements, additional components are offered to LME Apprentices and other TriMet Maintenance Technicians, including Pneumatics, Hydraulics, Blueprint Reading, and Braising Certification. Originally designed and delivered over 15 years ago, this program is updated continually to meet current industry standards and ongoing technological advances. Delivered at a variety of locations, program delivery has adjusted to meet the client’s scheduling needs.

• Challenge: Limited Maintenance Electrician (LME) Apprenticeship program success
• Effect: TriMet Apprentices were frequently unsuccessful in passing the State Exam after completing their training
• Solution: Customized 4-year LME program offered on a rolling and ongoing basis
• Outcomes: Employee skill level increases, now successfully pass State LME Exam