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retirement age within this period. Therefore, these companies will be forced to replace
experienced employees with new workers who lack basic skills and experience in the
job functions needed.

18.12.3 Unskilled Workforce Pool
The decline in the fundamental education afforded by our education system further
compounds the problem that most companies face in the workforce replacement
process. Too many potential new employees lack the basic skills sets, such as reading,
writing, mathematics, and so on that are fundamental requirements for all employees.
This problem is not limited to primary education. Many college graduates lack a
minimum level of the basic skills or practical knowledge in their field of specialty
(e.g., business, engineering). If you accept these problems as facts, why not train? One
of the more common reasons is a lack of funds. Many corporations face serious cash-
flow problems and low profitability. As a result, they believe that training is a luxury
they simply cannot afford.

Although this might sound like a logical argument, it simply is not true. Training does
not require a financial investment. External funds are available from other sources that
can be used to improve workforce skills. Leading the list of providers of training funds
are the federal, state, and local governments. Although these funds are primarily
limited to the direct workforce, grants are also available for all levels of management.
In fact, government-sponsored agencies are available that will help small and medium-
sized companies develop and grow.

18.12.4 Manufacturing Extension Partnership
The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is a nationwide network of not-
for-profit centers in more than 400 locations nationwide, whose sole purpose is to
provide small and medium-sized manufacturers with the help they need to succeed.
The centers, serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, are linked
through the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Tech-
nology. That makes it possible for even the smallest firm to tap into the expertise
of knowledgeable manufacturing and business specialists all over the United States.
To date, MEP has assisted more than 62,000 firms.

Each center has the ability to assess where your company stands today, to provide
technical and business solutions, to help you create successful partnerships, and
to help you keep learning through seminars and training programs. The special
combination of each center’s local expertise and their access to national resources
really makes a difference in the work that can be done for your company
(www.mep.nist.gov). The primary focus of training grants is through the U.S. Depart-
ment of Labor. The Job Training Partnership Act and several other federal initiatives,
such as the Employment and Training Administration (ETA), have been established
with the sole mission of resolving the workforce skills problem that is a universal
problem in U.S. industry.