Workforce development seminar to focus on role of technical colleges

Snap-on Industrial, along with Gateway Technical College and the National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3), are hosting a workforce roundtable to discuss job training and the role technical colleges and industry play to achieve that goal, from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2, at the Snap-on Innovation Center in Kenosha, Wis. 

The theme of the roundtable discussion: “Bridging the Gap between Tomorrow’s Opportunities and Today’s Realities,” aims to bring employers, educational institutions and policy makers together to share perspectives and ideas on advancing workforce skills training and ensuring the needs of business and the economy-at-large are being addressed. Attendees include leadership from national technical schools, leaders from regional businesses and government policymakers.

The roundtable discussion culminates a week of skills training in Kenosha. Starting Monday, July 30, technical school instructors from across the country will be receiving certification training at nearby Gateway Technical College.  The certification training is a collaborative effort between Snap-on Industrial and NC3, which is a network of education partners and corporations that supports advances in workforce skills in the transportation, aviation and energy industry sectors. The training developed by Snap-on Industrial certifies instructors to teach their students specific disciplines, such as automotive diagnostics, wheel service, torque, foreign object damage and tool control, diesel equipment and others.

These courses provide conformity and an across-the-board standard for the partnering technical schools to teach in-depth instruction on tool use, as well as theory and application. This type of train-the-trainer instruction occurring at Gateway Technical College is important because tools and equipment today are more advanced than ever before, and it’s imperative that instructors know how to fully maximize these products, and in turn teach students about their use and capabilities. Trade schools need to be at the forefront of innovation and training, and the certification curriculum developed by Snap-on Industrial helps them achieve that vision.

Workforce roundtable attendees will be available for comment/interviews following the discussion. If you are interested in covering the workforce roundtable or attending one of the certification training courses as an observer, please contact Frederick Brookhouse, senior business and education partnership manager, at (262) 705-1049 or email: Frederick.p.brookhouse@snapon.com

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