WorkCred, an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) affiliate, recently released a study on credential use for hiring and retention in the manufacturing industry, which found an uneven use of credentials in the industry.
According to the report, credentials are not routinely used as a significant factor in hiring or promoting decisions, and many in the industry do not know what relevant credentials are available. They also do not, the study found, view credentials as the most relevant tools for identifying new personnel or improve the quality of existing workforces.
Manufacturers also reported that they believed credentials could be a critical resource if they were better understood and were more in line with skills needed at their companies.
Additionally, the report offered recommendations for credentialing and workforce stakeholders in areas such as improving understanding of credentials, expensing quality standards for credentials, creating credentials that address new roles and adding an employability skills component to credentials.
Approximately 3.5 million manufacturing jobs are expected to be needed in the next decade, and 2 million are expected to go unfilled, according to a Deloitte report.
The WorkCred report was funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and made possible by the support of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology under a financial assistance award.