Lakeshore-area companies develop the next generation of workers
October 3, 2011
From htrnews.com: “Lakeshore-area companies develop the next generation of workers” — MANITOWOC — A machinist with LDI Industries, Russel Paider knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to say it.
“I don’t want to stop with these two new machines … I want to be given the opportunity to learn future new technology,” Paider said while on the production floor of the Manitowoc manufacturer of hydraulic components and lubrication equipment.
That’s the kind of attitude Mark Lukas, LDI’s president, wants to hear and gives him confidence the company’s recent $2 million investment in new machinery upgrades will pay off.
Lukas said a critical component to his company’s growth is developing the next generation of skilled workers.
One strategy for many Lakeshore-area companies is to sponsor employees entering two-, three- and four-year apprenticeships in various trades.
In 1911, Wisconsin passed the nation’s first apprenticeship law, and as the program enters its second century, it may play an even more important role in filling skilled-worker shortages.
