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Embedding industry certification into college programs

Graduates of an Ohio University program earn not just a college degree, but also a CMS credential.
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Automation has eliminated many low-skill manufacturing jobs. But it has created new and growing opportunities in which higher levels of skill and education are required. However, there may not be enough workers to fill those jobs.

A 2018 study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute found the skills gap may leave an estimated 2.4 million positions unfilled in the 10-year period ending in 2028.

One way to help close the gap is by incorporating viable industry certifications into existing college degree programs. Certifications are awarded after students pass a competency-based assessment from an independent third-party organization.

They are doing just that in Ohio University’s Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology and Management degree program. Seniors take the exam to become a Certified Manufacturing Specialist (CMS) which is offered by the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE). It covers 16 content areas ranging from Non-Traditional Machining to Computer Integrated Manufacturing to Electronics.

Todd Myers, Ph.D. is chair of the Department of Engineering Technology and Management and the director of workplace and professional development in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology. He tells WorkingNation the rationale behind the decision to embed the CMS exam into Ohio University’s program was multi-fold.

Todd Myers, Ph.D. – Dept. of Engineering Technology and Management, Ohio University (Photo: Ohio University)

“We wanted an external validation of the performance for students. So, you can have courses, you can have projects, you can have different assessments with tests. But the ability to have a third party that’s outside take a look and validate based on the student’s performance at how well they are performing in the subject matter areas, that was one of the reasons that we were interested as a department.”

“From the student’s standpoint, the ability to go through and then get that credential, you now are able to put those three initials after your name on your resume. And it provides a discussion item to the potential employers as you’re doing your interview of what this is about and what did you do.”

Myers says the student pass rate on the CMS exam is in the 90th percentile compared to roughly 58% nationally. He adds that certification as part of a school’s curricula has benefits for the manufacturing industry as well.

“Honestly, what I’ve been finding is there’s a lot of times when you talk to industry, they’re wanting a way to make sure that somebody is walking into their business and is able to perform and not going to need a year to be able to get up to speed. Knowing that the student has shown that they have the mastery of these particular areas gives them a comfort level that they know that they’re going to walk in and be productive within the first month.”

“Some manufacturers, depending on the school that you’re going to, you will hear things like, ‘Education is not listening to what industry wants.’ They want industry-recognized credentials to be able to validate that if somebody has a robotics course from group A or group B or group C that they’re exiting with similar knowledge or abilities. And I think what the industry is typically looking for is some type of validation that there was rigor and that learning occurred. But then when you start digging into those, what you find out is that they want, ‘Well, I’ve used brand A at my place.’ Another company uses brand C and another company uses brand D and that they’re actually looking for a certification on a unique particular item. Whereas the certified manufacturing specialist gives you much more of a ‘These people have the generalized skills to be able to do these now, and the ability to learn that specific content.’”

(Photo: Ohio University)

So why aren’t more programs incorporating certification exams into their curricula? One reason is finding a certification that matches what the school is teaching, according to Myers.

“What we found was is that this task, this certification aligns well with our program and what our objectives of the program are. And our objective is actually set by industry because we have an industrial advisory board, which comes and reviews our program once a year. It’s made up of over 20 individuals in manufacturing from different firms that typically would hire our students and/or our alumni who have succeeded and are now in senior management roles within those firms.”

Another reason is financial.

“One of the biggest challenges for us is these certification exams cost money,” notes Dr. Myers. “They cost money for the students who want to be able to sit and take the test. And then after you have it, typically they want you to join whatever organization is providing this, as well as pay for that certification. And then there’s a yearly membership or yearly renewal, and then continuing education requirements to be able to maintain that.”

At Ohio University, the testing fee is covered by an alumnus who saw the value in certification. Students then decide if the other expenses are manageable for them.

Manufacturing is facing a dearth of workers over the next decade. However, embedding manufacturing certifications at the college level is one way to provide students with better opportunities when entering the field, while giving the industry a new pool of potential workers who will be better able to adapt to, and take greater advantage of, the rapid advances in technology that are driving tremendous change.

Dana Beth Ardi

Executive Committee

Dana Beth Ardi, PhD, Executive Committee, is a thought leader and expert in the fields of executive search, talent management, organizational design, assessment, leadership and coaching. As an innovator in the human capital movement, Ardi creates enhanced value in companies by matching the most sought after talent with the best opportunities. Ardi coaches boards and investors on the art and science of building high caliber management teams. She provides them with the necessary skills to seek out and attract top-level management, to design the ideal organizational architectures and to deploy people against strategy. Ardi unearths the way a business works and the most effective way for people to work in them.

Ardi is an experienced business executive and senior consultant who leverages business organizational transformation through talent strategies. She uses her knowledge and experience to develop talent strategies to enhance revenue and profit contributions. She has a deep expertise in change management and organizational effectiveness and has designed and built high performance cultures. Ardi has significant experience in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, IPO’s and turnarounds.

Ardi is an expert on the multi-generational workforce. She understands the four intersecting generations of workers coming together in contemporary companies, each with their own mindsets, leadership and communications styles, values and motivations. Ardi is sought after to assist companies manage and thrive by bringing the generations together. Her book, Fall of the Alphas: How Beta Leaders Win Through Connection, Collaboration and Influence, will be published by St. Martin’s Press. The book reflects Ardi’s deep expertise in understanding organizations and our changing society. It focuses on building a winning culture, how companies must grow and evolve, and how talent influences and shapes communities of work. This is what she has coined “Corporate Anthropology.” It is a playbook on how modern companies must meet challenges – culturally, globally, digitally, across genders and generations.

Ardi is currently the Managing Director and Founder of Corporate Anthropology Advisors, LLC, a consulting company that provides human capital advisory and innovative solutions to companies building value through people. Corporate Anthropology works with organizations, their cultures, the way they grow and develop, and the people who are responsible for forming their communities of work.

Prior to her position at Corporate Anthropology Advisors, Ardi served as a Partner/Managing Director at the private equity firms CCMP Capital and JPMorgan Partners. She was a partner at Flatiron Partners, a venture capital firm working with early state companies where she pioneered the human capital role within an investment portfolio.

Ardi holds a BS from the State University of New York at Buffalo as well as a Masters degree and PhD from Boston College. She started her career as professor at the Graduate Center at Fordham University in New York.