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by Lauren Gibbons Paul, Contributing Editor   | Abstract: | Manufacturers know their workers will need more advanced skills in the years ahead, and smart companies are investing in training and education today. |
John Rauschenberger of Ford Motor Co. (Dearborn, MI) has seen the writing on the wall. The future imperative for Ford's workforce -- like that of every other U.S. manufacturer -- will be to do more with less. As the wave of baby boomer retirements intensifies, the U.S. workforce will lose millions of employees, and price pressures from low-cost labor centers offshore are not expected to abate anytime soon. So, Rauschenberger is thinking ahead. Though the $171 billion automaker is not currently experiencing major shortages, Rauschenberger isn't sitting idly by. "We have to be more productive, and the way to do that is to have smarter people using good technology. That's the only way you can compete against cheaper, unskilled labor," says Rauschenberger, manager of personnel research and development for Ford. His professional mission is to ensure that Ford's workers will have the advanced skills they need to thrive throughout this century. [Click to continue] |