Post: Dec. 19, 2018
This year’s Annual Luncheon & Member/ Associate Member Expo was our largest ever. With 300 people in attendance, 26 expo booths and 24 certificate recipients all at the spectacular Grandview in Poughkeepsie, it was an event to remember. E.J. Mc Mahon from The Empire Center for Public Policy presented those in attendance with a lot to think about relating to the 2019 New York State legislative session, budget, and the new federal tax law. This event was made possible thanks to the following generous sponsors: Allendale Machinery Systems; Bleakley Platt & Schmidt, LLP; The Chazen Companies; Fair-Rite Products Corp.; M & T Bank; Package Pavement; Think Dutchess Alliance or Business.
The Expo was a great mix of manufacturers and the companies that offer products and services to support them. Allendale Machinery Systems brought a robot that played chess and a 3D printer that printed the chess pieces. There were tables with packaging, printing, testing, HVAC, compressed air, carbon and graphite machine parts, high speed internet, restoration specialists, janitorial supplies and a variety of accounting, law, and banking professionals and many more.
The Luncheon was kicked off with a Council of Industry year in review slide show presented by Harold King, CI President. Following this recap Virginia Stoeffel, Dean of Community Services & Special Programs at Dutchess Community College and Rebecca Mazin, Recruit Right and Leadership Instructor assisted Alison Butler, CI Director of Member Programs & Services in presenting the recipients with their Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership. In 2018, the Council ran this supervisor training at DCC and Rockland Community College, with a total of 32 people completing the program, 24 of whom were at the luncheon.
After the lunch, E.J. McMahon, Founder and Research Director for The Empire Center addressed the crowd with his insight regarding the changes that will take place at the state government level in 2019 and what impact they may have economically. McMahon looked at the employment growth in New York State comparing upstate vs. downstate, migration trends which show a net domestic loss of over 1 million people since 2010 and Governor Cuomo’s budget for 2019. McMahon also explained how the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act will change income taxes and how the Employer Compensation Expensive Tax would affect companies in New York State.
The event drew to a close with reminders that there is still time to register for the 2019 Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership at Dutchess Community College and one more thank you to the sponsors: Allendale Machinery Systems; Bleakley Platt & Schmidt, LLP; The Chazen Companies; Fair-Rite Products Corp.; M & T Bank; Package Pavement; Think Dutchess.
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On December 6th the Council of Industry held an information session for members interested in the New York State Registered Apprenticeship Program. While it was well attended, there maybe be some members that were not able to attend but are interested in receiving more information.
The NYS registered apprenticeship program has two basic requirements. The first, On-the-Job Training (OJT), consists of a journey-level, skilled worker capable and willing to share their experience with an apprentice, in a hands-on manner.
The second, Related Instruction (RI), consists of learning more theoretical or knowledge-based aspects of a trade. This related instruction component requires apprentices to complete 144 hours of classroom or online training per year.
The process to complete an apprenticeship can take between 16 months and 4 years, but exceptions can be made for someone with previous experience.
Available Trades:
Where do the apprentices come from?
Existing Employees – Tools for Retention
An apprentice can be an existing employee who you are seeking to retain or develop for advancement. In this case, your current employee would have access to free online and classroom training to augment the on the job training provided. This model lends itself to the continuous development of employees while backfilling entry-level staff with a clear path for skills development.
New Employee – Career Path Opportunity
Companies can enroll their newly hired employee into an apprenticeship program. This allows new employees a formalized skills development path, access to additional training resources and onboarding assistance.
Searching for New Talent – Recruiting Tool
Job seekers are looking for steady work with the opportunity for advancement. Many job seekers are drawn to apprenticeships and jobs posted as ‘apprenticeable’ traditionally receive more applicants. If you are unsure where to start to recruit potential apprentices, learn more about our recruiting initiative and our candidate pool resources.
Incentives…Incentives and More Incentives
It’s a great time to implement an apprenticeship program. We have partnered with various organizations to offer incentives to registered apprentices.
- SUNY Apprenticeship Grant – Registered apprentices may have the opportunity to receive up $5,000 worth of courses at SUNY Community Colleges.
- WDI, Workforce Development Institute – WDI is offering up to $2,000 per registered apprentice to offset the trainers time.
- NYS Tax Credits – NYS offers $2,000+ tax credit per apprentice; this amount increases each year eventually offer $5,000 per apprentice.
- Free online training – Each registered apprentice receives a Tooling U license to complete online trade specific training. $500+ value.
- Administrative help – The Council of Industry manages the administrative aspects of the program. This includes registration, department of labor requirements and setup.
What’s in it for the apprentice?
Upon completion, the apprentice will be registered with the department of labor as a certified tradesman. For example, an apprentice who completes 8,000 hours as a CNC apprentice will receive a certification from NYS DOL and a pocket card identifying him as a Certified CNC Machinist. The apprentice will also earn foundational knowledge and skills to increase their income and potentially qualify for future advancement.
What’s in it for the company?
Most of our members indicate that workforce is their number one concern. Many of them also indicate they are hiring and training on the job. The apprentice program allows companies to enhance their current training program while creating a clear pathway that makes sense to job seekers and employees alike. Companies participating in the program are always training and developing the skills of their employees, this allows them to fill jobs from within and build the talent they need instead of hoping to find the unique skills necessary to fill positions. It is a retention tool to keep employees engaged and a recruiting tool to help differentiate your company.
The on-the-job training is done with someone from your company that already performs that trade and can be the journeyman for the apprentice to learn from. The program requires between 4,000 and 8,000 hours of on-the-job training dependant on the trade. An internship or previous training in that trade can count towards these hours. Much of this time is not instructional but time that the apprentice practices the skills taught by the journeyman while performing his work tasks. Hours are logged each day by the apprentice in relation to which skill was covered during that day’s labor.
The related instruction portion of the training can be done through an online training program called Tooling U, which is free to registered apprentices or through the local community colleges which also are offering related instruction free to registered apprentices. Time spent on this instruction can be paid or unpaid as determined by the company. The apprentice is required to complete 144 hours of related instruction each year.
There is a wage progression required as the apprentice becomes more skilled, but the company sets the starting wage and the rate of progression. Since this is a government backed program anyone that completes it will have a national certification. This is an excellent tool for companies looking to recruit people into these trades and a good way to keep people that are already showing potential.
The Council of Industry is the only organization in the Hudson Valley able to act as a sponsor and administrate this program. We are also in the process of creating a pipeline of possible apprentices but for now, it is best to consider someone you already have working at your company that has potential and interest in becoming a master of one of the trades above.
Even if you are on the fence about registering an apprentice you can still start the paperwork so that once you are ready to go it is a shorter process. There currently is no charge to register an apprentice but there this is something that may change in the future. There is also no penalty for changing your mind. If an apprentice is not working out, you can discontinue the program or switch to a new person and start over. It is relatively painless to register and just requires meeting with Johnnieanne, the Apprentice Coordinator for The Council of Industry, and signing a few papers. If you still have a question or better yet are ready to sign up, contact Johnnieanne Hansen at jhansen@councilofindustry.org or call (845) 565-1355.
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The Council of Industry has offered quality supervisory training to its members in the Hudson Valley for over 20 years. The Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership is a comprehensive group of courses that prepares supervisors for their challenging positions at manufacturing facilities. The program is designed to offer particular skill sets through day-long courses designed by manufacturers to help participants meet the challenges of the modern workplace. Participants who complete the required courses are presented with the Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership presented by the Council of Industry and Dutchess Community College. In the last few years, a few classes have gone to waitlists so don’t hesitate, register soon.
All courses are full-day classes (from 9 am – 4:30 pm) and are held at Dutchess Community College, Poughkeepsie, NY with morning coffee and lunch included on site. Though participants are encouraged to complete the course series for the most comprehensive leadership education, the Council welcomes individual course registration as well. The Early Bird Special discount ends tomorrow December 21st. Register and pay online or mail a check to receive the substantial saving from this special offer.
Classes include:
Program Cost
One Day Course Single Member: $200.00 Two or More from Same Company: $175.00 each Single Non-Member: $375.00 Early Bird Discount: $185 (must register and pay before 12/21)
Fundamentals of Leadership Single Member: $400.00 Two or More from Same Company: $350.00 each Single Non-Member: $700.00 Early Bird Discount: $370 (must register and pay before 12/21)
Entire Program Single Member: $1,700.00 Two or More from Same Company: $1,550.00 each Single Non-Member: $2,600.00 Early Bird Discount: $1600 single, $1450 each two or more from the same company (must register and pay before 12/21).
Online registration is available at https://www.councilofindustry.org/training/course-list/?ccat=certificate-in-manufacturing. If you have questions or need help registering contact Alison Butler (abutler@councilofindustry.org) or call (845) 565-1355.
Post: Dec. 18, 2018
The Council of Industry and Marist College’s Bureau of Economic Research and School of Management along with Ethan Allen Workforce Solutions have compiled and analyzed the results from the 2018 Annual Wage and Benefits survey of Hudson Valley manufacturing companies. Twenty-five companies participated in the survey this year with a combined total of 2,869 reported employees.
Wage Trends
2018 wage increases among participating companies averaged 3.1% for the management group, 2.9% for the professional group, 3.2% for the administrative/clerical group, 2.7% for the technical group, 3.2% for the manufacturing/production group, and 3.4% for the sales group. These were in line with the pay increases observed nationally, which came in at 3.1%.
Planned increases for 2019 are 2.9% for the management group, 2.7% for the professional group, 2.8% for the administrative/clerical group, 2.7% for the technical group, 2.7% for the manufacturing/production group, and 2.8% for the sales group. Nationally, pay increases for 2019 are projected to be 3.2%.
Hiring Plans
72% of respondents indicated that they are looking to do new hiring in 2019, and the vast majority (96%) indicated that they are not looking to reduce their workforce in 2019. Most new hires made in 2018 were in the manufacturing and technical groups. Approximately 35% of respondents indicated that they had positions that went unfilled in 2018. Among the positions that were reportedly difficult to fill are: Machinist Positions, Assembler, Entry Level Production, Converting Operator, Machine Operator, CNC/Manual Machinist, Industrial Maintenance Mechanic, and Sales/Product Development.
“Hiring – especially for skilled workers is an ongoing challenge for our members and these survey results confirm that fact,” said Johnnieanne Hansen, Director of Workforce Development for the Council of Industry. “We are hopeful that several initiatives we have undertaken in the past year, including our Collaborative Recruiting Program (www.HVMfgJobs.com) and our Apprentice Program will have a positive impact in 2019. We’re working to help our members find and train the workers they need.”
Hudson Valley Manufacturers are working with the Council of Industry on several initiatives to address the challenge of finding quality candidates to fill open positions. 52% of respondents reported that they utilize the Council of Industry’s Collaborative Recruiting Effort. 48% of respondents do not. This initiative was put in place to help our members who are struggling to fill the previously mentioned positions.
Health Coverage
All participating companies reported providing health care coverage for their employees, and that employee health care premiums are paid on a pre-tax basis. 21 respondents provide Dental Coverage, 20 provide a Vision/Optical Plan, and 21 provide an HSA or HRA.
Council of Industry President Harold King says, “The survey results confirm that manufacturing jobs in the region continue to provide good wages and benefits. We also see some upward pressure on wages most likely resulting from a tight labor market.”
The Council of Industry has been the manufacturer’s association of the Hudson Valley since 1910. Our membership includes manufacturers and businesses related to the manufacturing industry throughout Southeastern New York. We are a privately funded not-for-profit organization, whose mission is to promote the success of our member firms and their employees, and through them contribute to the success of the Hudson Valley Community. We provide access to training, networking opportunities, advocacy and discounts of products and services for our members.
This is the tenth wage and salary survey since a resumption of the collaboration between the Council of Industry of Southeastern New York and Marist College’s Bureau of Economic Research (BER) and the School of Management, and the fifth year that it is being co-sponsored by Ethan Allen Workforce Solutions.