National Institute for Metalworking Skills Launches Employer Engagement Process

The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) has developed a new approach to help employers struggling with on-the-job training (OJT). NIMS created this five-step process — briefly described and accessible here — to address the urgency many employers are experiencing to train employees in today’s manufacturing technologies and methods.

Step 1 is “Familiarize” — Introduces the Smart Training Principles that NIMS outlines on its website.

Step 2 is “Discover” — It includes a quick online self-evaluation assessment that reveals perceived versus actual training behaviors occurring in a shop or factory.

Step 3 is “Analyze” — The shop owner or training manager and trainers participate in a session with an NIMS expert to bring clarity to the assessment results. This session returns a comprehensive needs analysis and a Training Playbook which the company can use to enhance its training program.

Step 4 is “Enhance” — The details of the organization’s training program are developed on-site at the company’s location. This is the step that is said to have the greatest and most empowering impact. The training materials are created with a NIMS expert, and real training sessions are practiced and fine-tuned.

Step 5 is “Recognize” — This is the final step to ensure that all stakeholders in the program are acknowledged for their role in reaching the desired performance goals.

“The first steps are somewhat academic, but we caution companies to not get turned off by those,” says Montez King, executive director of NIMS. “They are quick and necessary for the subsequent steps that are practical and real-world, using a company’s specific parts and processes. They successfully resolve the OJT needs in a relatively short time frame. Further, NIMS is here to help employers at every step of the journey.”