Inside Fall 2011 Newsletter
AutoCAD training inspires workers to continue their education.
In 1947, Ted Zidek started a metal fabrication shop in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood. He specialized in making lampshade rings. In time, the company expanded into other wire and sheet metal products and eventually moved to Bedford Park. Today, Astoria Wire and Metal Products employs about 100 people and produces a variety of metal products including medical components, store fixtures, point of purchase displays, and OEM parts. They have become a successful
job shop.
Their success prompted them to purchase a new CNC lath that would do welding and other manufacturing functions more efficiently. The lath uses mechanical drawings made in AutoCAD to direct how it cuts and shapes metal into a finished product. This process required Astoria to train employees in AutoCAD and they called on Joliet Junior College professor Scott Boudreau to develop the program.
“Scotty Boudreau was the reason I called Joliet Junior College (JJC),” said Kevin Zidek, Ted Zidek’s son and president of Astoria Wire and Metal Products. “You see, I need to have more people educated in AutoCAD so they can operate the new equipment. Scotty gave a 2-day class to four of my employees and they were so impressed with him, they asked to continue their education.”
Those four employees are currently enrolled in a credit class in JJC’s Technology department. They attend class on Saturday mornings. “The reason for taking Saturday classes is that they are key people in my plant and they need to be at work during the week. Also, I did not want them to be over burdened with work responsibilities and their studies,” said Zidek.
“The AutoCAD classes are very popular and it was not easy enrolling the four employees from Astoria,” said Amy Murphy, director of Corporate and Community Services for Joliet Junior College. “When Kevin contacted me for assistance, I was glad we were able to work it out so they could all be in the same class.”
The Saturday credit course is also relevant to the needs of Astoria Wire and Metal Products. As one student, Maria Chico, commented, “This [AutoCAD] will help with the new products being sent to the company. AutoCAD is more complex than the software in the machines, so it will help me to improve my performance on the job. It will help me to work faster.”
The training program developed by Boudreau involved 10 training modules that focused on the design components of the AutoCAD software. “Astoria Wire did not need to supply outside vendors with scale drawings,” said Boudreau. “They are not an engineering firm. Their needs centered around in-house skills for design development that ultimately will be used to control their automatic machine tool processes.”
Boudreau is an experienced teacher and mechanical designer with a background in nuclear piping design and mobile cellular and microwave site design and build projects. He has developed custom programs for ComEd, Nicor Gas, ExxonMobile, Astoria Wire and Metal Products, and many other Chicagoland firms.
“The need for technical training in the manufacturing industry is critical,” said Murphy. “Many people don’t realize that American manufacturers need a new type of skilled worker. The day of the assembly line is over. It is technology that allows U.S. producers to compete in global markets. But it is difficult to find qualified workers.”
According to a March 11 article written by Chris Isidore for CNN online, factories are having trouble finding qualified technicians. He writes the following quote:
“The perception out there is that we’re losing manufacturing jobs to China and India. So if they’ve already been displaced and they’re going to go back to school, they’re going for something not manufacturing-related,” said Rob Clark, vice president of operations at Clark Metal Products, a company outside of Pittsburgh started by his grandfather and now run by his uncle.
The article noted that Clark is having problems finding skilled workers and that other manufacturers are experiencing the same difficulty. Isidore writes that Manpower, the global temporary staffing firm, lists skilled trades as the most difficult position for employers to fill. That is true not only in the U.S. but across 36 countries surveyed.
“We are fortunate to have a technical department that is excellent in so many areas,” said Murphy. “JJC’s professors in drafting, architecture, architectural technology, HVAC, electrical, programmable controls, pneumatics, and construction management have excellent industry reputations. They have helped many firms solve their need for trained workers.”
For more information about technical programs at Joliet Junior College, call (815) 280-1418, or e-mail
amurphy@jjc.edu.
Telework option is becoming more popular — especially now.
Let’s face it. Telework is trending upward. According to some observers, telecommuters represent around 2 percent of the U.S. employee workforce and the number of large employers offering telecommuting opportunities is increasing. For small to medium-sized businesses to compete, they may need to consider the telework option, too.
First, it is critical that employers find a way to get their heads into the 21st Century workplace. Many jobs – not all – can be done remotely. Deciding which jobs are good candidates requires a simple review of what it takes for the person to do the job.
For example, if you are hiring a technician to operate and maintain a robotic system in your factory, the job will require that person to be at your workplace. On the other hand, if the job is for a copywriter in your advertising department, you could easily allow this person to work three or four days a week from home – or a coffee shop, library, or restaurant. It doesn’t matter because you are more concerned with the final copy this writer delivers than where he or she does the writing.
That is another key consideration when determining whether a job is appropriate for telecommuting. It is important to change from rewarding hours on the job to rewarding results. This shift to a results-oriented approach about work actually makes people more accountable – not less - because it doesn’t care when and where the work got done, only if the work is good and on time.
There are many other benefits to teleworking. According to the Learning Resource Network (LERN), there are at least six good reasons for an employer to offer a telework option. They include:
* Eliminated commuter time
* Teleworkers often work longer hours because they are more engaged in their tasks
* Less water cooler conversation
* Reduced turnover and training
* Telecommuters usually work when they are most productive
* It is healthier reducing stress and lowering medical bills and sick time
There are also some societal benefits such as less strain on roads and bridges due to reduced traffic, less energy consumption for transportation, reduced space needs resulting in major cost savings to business owners, and fewer accidents on the highways.
“There is no question that telecommuting can be a way for small and medium sized business to reduce costs and increase productivity,” said Amy Murphy, director of Corporate and Community Services for Joliet Junior College (JJC). “Many employers, however, are not sure how to implement such a program and how to prepare both workers and supervisors to make a smooth transition. That’s where we can help. We have consulting services that can advise employers and provide the training needed.”
To learn more about how telework could benefit your business, call Amy Murphy at (815) 280-1418, or e-mail amurphy@jjc.edu.
Free Assistance Available to Small Business.
As of July of this year, the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Joliet Junior College (JJC) was awarded a grant from the Small Business Administration (SBA). The grant is part of the Small Business Jobs Act (SBJA) that was signed into law in September 2010.
“The money from this grant will help us expand our consulting services so we can assist more entrepreneurs,” said Amy Murphy, director of Corporate and Community Services for JJC. “We are bringing in more business analysts who have specialties in a variety of areas such as marketing, technology, human resources, business law, and many others. We are giving special attention to companies needing assistance in social media, website development, and QuickBooks.
“We want to be the place to go for assistance in all the areas that entrepreneurs need to operate,” said Murphy. “If a small business owner needs to brush up on QuickBooks, we want to help; if they need to understand the implications of current tax and labor laws, we want to help; if they don’t know where to begin to design their website, we want to help; and if they want to really tap into social media marketing so it works for them, we want to help.”
According to Murphy, providing all these services is part of the mission of the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Joliet Junior College. She believes the SBDC can play a vital role in helping the economy improve.
“Helping entrepreneurs get the right start is one way the economy will improve,” said Murphy. “We are looking forward to helping more small business owners navigate their way from start-up to growth. These are challenging but exciting times.”
To learn more about the Small Business Administration SBJA law, visit the SBA website at www.sba.gov/jobsact.
For more information about this program and the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Joliet Junior College, call (815) 280-1400, or e-mail sbdc@jjc.edu. Entrepreneurs can also visit the website at www.sbdcjjc.com.