Case Study – R.A Jones Prepares Local High School Students for Success in Engineering

Need:

R.A Jones was experiencing a labor shortage as a result of record growth. To make matters worse, multiple companies in their local Cincinnati area also increased their presence creating a very competitive labor market for R.A Jones. The technical schools R.A Jones previously relied on to recruit and develop skilled labor became inundated with many companies seeking new talent. 

Additionally, demand for unskilled labor was experiencing record highs. These activities combined with increased unemployment payouts posed significant challenges in recruiting and retaining new employees. 

Action:

R.A Jones began working with local high schools and vocational schools to promote trades and non-degreed career opportunities. Partnering with guidance counselors, the HR team attended high school career fairs and began speaking at the schools on a regular basis.

With the support of the PMMI U Skills Fund, R.A Jones created the following high school program:

• High school students work at the facility as “interns” for three hours each day, receiving school credit instead of pay.
• Hours worked outside of the school “internship” are paid.
• Student extracurricular activities are considered when making work schedules.
• Students rotate through various functions including small sub-assembly and other indirect tasks, teaching them skills such as how to read prints, understanding assembly sequence and basic process management skills.
• Family night is scheduled after the first month of work so students can bring their families in after-hours and show them where they are working.
• Students can attend lunch and learns with the engineer leading the Co-Op program to understand potential growth opportunity.

Result:

One-hundred percent of students that participated in the program’s first year were accepted into college engineering programs. All have expressed interest in staying with R.A Jones as college Co-Ops.  Additional high schools have reached out to R.A Jones expressing interest in having their students participate in the program. Eight potential students are already set up for the 2021-2022 school year and referrals from existing students have grown beyond R.A Jones’ ability to accommodate. Finally, local businesses have requested training on program development so they can deploy similar programs.

What Can You Do:

The PMMI U Skills Fund supported R.A Jones’ initiative and any PMMI member can have these types of results for your company.

Created by PMMI, the PMMI U Skills Fund is a resource intended to help you form meaningful partnerships with regional two- to four-year colleges, universities and/or technical/vocational schools, as well as other educational programs in your area.

The PMMI U Skills Fund will match your company’s contributions up to $50,000 per year to fund regional education programs of your choice.

Whether you partner with a school to help strengthen an industry-related program, join forces with a STEM summer camp, coordinate a group of students to bring to PACK EXPO or choose to invest in the future workforce in multiple ways throughout the year, the PMMI U Skills Fund is here to assist you with the financial obligations that come from these types of initiatives.

For more information and to apply, contact Kate Fiorianti, senior manager, workforce development, PMMI at [email protected] or 571.266.4406.