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Ask the Stamping Expert: Where can we find skilled labor?

In-house apprenticeship programs can solve the problem for metalworking companies

searching for manufacturing workers

As skilled labor gets more and more difficult to find in the metal stamping sector, in-house apprenticeship programs can offer a solution. Getty Images

Q: We are struggling to find skilled labor to support our stamping operation. Any suggestions?

A: The days of high school graduates looking to trade schools for a competitive career choice are, for the most part, gone. The percentage of high school graduates who go straight to college has increased from 63% in 2000 to 70% today per the U.S. Department of Education. In addition, high school graduates earn a median wage of $27,708, while college graduates earn nearly double that, making $53,091 a year plus benefits. Is it any wonder college is the path of choice?

But there is hope for the tool and die trade. The national average salary for tool- and diemakers in the U.S. is $74,516, and the high end is $85,528. Couple that with benefits like health insurance, sick leave, and 401(k), and it’s a very comfortable career path.

Typically, becoming a tool- and diemaker requires a comprehensive trade school education, coupled with an effective apprenticeship program and on-the-job training. But trade schools have all but disappeared as a vast majority of the blue-collar skilled jobs have offshored.

I believe there is only one solution to this problem. At Micro Co. we have been very successful in creating our own apprenticeship program. Partnering with the state Department of Education and local community colleges, we have created an in-house, four-year program that allows the apprentice to train in all the disciplines required in the tool and die trade and graduate with certified journeyman papers. We combine this with the required coursework and testing at the local colleges, graduating skilled toolmakers who can compete in today’s workforce.

It is important to note that technical advances in tool and die have made it almost impossible to work in the trade without taking some college courses. Advanced electronic sensing is being applied more and more in presses, auxiliary equipment, and in the tools themselves. Toolmakers also need some basic understanding of the 3D software used for tooling design. Most shops have CAD stations in the toolroom, and shops that use SolidWorks for design typically do not create detailed prints for every component of a tool. When questions arise on the floor, it’s more efficient for toolmakers to access tooling prints themselves and do basic manipulation of solid model drawings to investigate specific dimensions.

For the in-house apprenticeship program to be successful, it’s important to have a champion. It’s a lot of work to do it right, but the benefits of gaining a well-trained, highly skilled graduate are worth it. At Micro Co. our champion is Eric Louison, toolroom manager, who has been instrumental in setting up a world-class apprenticeship program that combines both classwork and on-the-job training (see Figure 1).

As you can see, safety is the first focus. Safety training is essential and must be comprehensive, including the proper procedures and potential hazards on all equipment: grinders, lathes, milling machines, drill presses, band saws, belt sanders, etc.

A great way to get new apprentices acclimated to the tools of the trade—micrometers, vernier calipers, indicators, scales, gauges, screws, stones—is to give them a catalog of mill supplies (such as Manhattan Supply Co.) and have them manually reference everything needed through their apprenticeship. This forces them to get familiar with all the nuts and bolts of the tool and die trade and sets them on a path for success in the apprenticeship program.

About the Author
Micro Co.

Thomas Vacca

Micro Co.

Has a shop floor stamping or tool and die question stumped you? If so, send your questions to kateb@thefabricator.com to be answered by Thomas Vacca, director of engineering at Micro Co.