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The Gulf States Shipbuilders Consortium (GSSC) was formed in 2006 to provide a forum for interaction among the shipbuilding industry in the Gulf States, to expand the number of technically skilled workers in the region...Read more |
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Are you involved in or do you support the shipbuilding and repair industry along the Gulf Coast?
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How can the critical workforce issues facing the shipbuilding and repair industry--an aging workforce; the lack of technically skills workers; the lack of defined, standardized skills sets, curricula, and credentials; costs associated with recruiting hiring, testing, and training workers; and high turnover rates? One strategy that has been proven in other industry sectors is standardized, industry-driven, task-based training and portable skills credentials. GSSC started down the path of standardization with the development of its shipfitter curriculum, which is currently being tested in the first of three pilot boot camps. Ten individuals from of a pool of 18 eligible candidates were invited to participate in the boot camp, which is being held at AIDT’s recently opened Maritime Center in Mobile, Alabama. To establish eligibility, candidates were required to participate in a week-long pre-qualification process. The purpose of prequalification was to make sure candidates were drug free, had basic workplace skills by taking selected Workkeys® assessments, and had an understanding of and a desire to work in the shipbuilding and repair industry. Industry tours, presentations by industry representatives, and interviews were part of the pre-qualification process. According to Byron Dunn, president of GSSC, "Before we invested our time and money in training these individuals and to help them be successful, we wanted to make sure the candidates selected were eligible for employment by being drug free, possessed basic workplace skills, and had a good understanding of what it was like to work as a shipfitter in a shipyard." "The delivery of the first 11-week Shipfitter Boot Camp, will get GSSC one step closer to our goal of making a standardized shipfitting curriculum with a portable skill certificate available to our members," said Dunn. Dunn also noted that the curriculum can be used by high schools, community colleges, employers, and other training providers to train individuals on core shipfitting skills. The boot camp is scheduled August 1- October 15 with classes running Monday-Thursday from 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. A ceremony will be scheduled at the conclusion of the boot camp to honor graduates completing the program. Local shipyards and staffing agencies will also be invited to participate in a job fair where they can interview graduates for possible employment. Graduates will be followed for three years to determine the long-term success of the program. Employers will also be asked to provide feedback related to the skill level of graduates in an effort to continually improve the program. Two additional pilot boot camps—one in Mississippi and one in Louisiana—are slated for delivery in 2011-2012. Once the three boot camps are complete, plans are to release the curriculum for use by GSSC members. For more information, contact, Dr. Audrey Bandy, Alabama Technology Network, 205-943-4737 or Byron Dunn, GSSC President, 251-445-8998.
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GSSC HOSTS PILOT SHIPFITTER BOOT CAMP 
(251) 660-1625, ext.101 |
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