Combatting misperceptions of careers in manufacturing is just one of the goals of a new venture created by the partnership of Moraine Valley Community College and food ingredient producer Ingredion.
“In today’s world, people have a misrepresentation of what manufacturing really is. For those of us who’ve been around a while, it’s unsafe, dirty, low-tech, demanding physical labor,” said Steve Pappageorge, vice president of Workforce, Strategy and External Affairs at the college in Palos Hills.
“Part of what we’re trying to do is change the narrative. A lot of it is highly skilled, computerized equipment. You need a human being to make sure things run properly and run the way you want them to,” he added. “It’s become a little more high tech and skilled.”
To that end, the manufacturing company and the community college have paired up to offer a free, two-week manufacturing training program for anyone 18 and older from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays Oct. 5 to 16 at the Palos Hills campus and the company’s Bedford Park plant.
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“Ingredion is underwriting this because there’s always a cost – instructors and teachers and certification,” Paggageorge said. “They felt that the partnership is a good community outreach not only for Ingredion but for the industry and residents as a whole.”
Up to 20 spaces are available in the pilot program for “people out of work and people interested in exploring a career in manufacturing and learning skills and certifications that would allow them to pursue an introductory role in manufacturing,” said Elena Siampos, assistant dean of Workforce and Community Partnerships at the college.
“The genesis of this program was to improve the mindset of manufacturing but also recognize there’s a shortage” of skilled labor, Pappageorge said. “We need to invest in the community to have people understand what it might look like – the purchase decision in this kind of career (to avoid) after a week or two, workers don’t like it and leave.”
He said the program will show that attendees are committed. “It’s a win-win for everyone – the manufacturing companies, prospective employees and community members so everyone can make a good decision.”
The bootcamp will provide an introduction to manufacturing; certifications in OSHA 10, forklift operation, CPR and hand tools; plant tours and conversations with company representatives; job readiness training; and mock interviews.
Those interested must join an information session, with priority given to those who sign up by Sept. 11 at www.morainevalley.edu/ingredion or 708-974-5386. “The steps are they need to attend an information session, and once they attend, they’ll be sent an application to apply for the program,” Siampos said.
A two-week session was chosen to allow the certification and knowledge to be passed on. “Two weeks is a time commitment. One week is not enough because I think there’s a lot to share,” Pappageorge said. “Any longer, and life gets in the way. Some people might still be working or have other challenges. We’re targeting two weeks to see if that’s the sweet spot.”
Confidence is another reason to offer the training, Siampos said. “One thing we have is to help the participants not just gain skills and certifications but to increase their confidence throughout the program so that they feel they can take their next steps to become employees.”
It’s hoped the program’s effects will last long after participants have left the classroom. “Regardless of the students’ decision on their employment future, the industry credentials they earn are portable,” Pappageorge explained. “That’s a bonus for the student. You’ll get CPR certification – that’s always good to have. OSHA certification. … These are skill sets that will come in handy no matter what they do in life.”
The college has been working with companies for a while as part of its outreach efforts. “There’s a shortage of skilled labor. Everyone is fighting for the same employees. The technique of trying to compete on wages hasn’t been successful,” he said. “People haven’t built a lot of durability in their workforce and in some aspects loyalty.
“With Ingredion, we’ve had some chats,” he added. “What if we could do something like this and offer it to the community? The lights went on and they were interested and we put some context around it, how Ingredion could participate and what the college could do.”
As one of the largest employers in the college’s district, Ingredion, a Global 500 company that has its headquarters in Westchester, made sense as a partner. “It’s right up there in Bedford Park. We’ve spoken with them on countless occasions, and this seemed to be the right time with the right fit and we jumped on it,” Pappageorge said.
The decline of a manufacturing workforce is one reason Ingredion decided now was the time to work with Moraine Valley. “Around one-third of the manufacturing workers in the US are approaching retirement age,” said Dana Valentine, vice president of Human Resources Global Operations and Supply Chain for Ingredion. “The bootcamp is creating a launching pad for participants to build skills, thinking about long-term skills, and we want to make sure we’re doing our best to bring awareness to manufacturing and what careers you can have.
“Partnering with Moraine Valley made a lot of sense,” she added. “They’re about 10 minutes away from our (Bedford Park) location. We want this to be an event for our community while we build manufacturing talent.”
The company employs about 400 full-time employees and a number of contractors at its Bedford Park plant. Globally, Ingredion employs about 11,000 people.
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“We may not be a household name, but our ingredients are favorite foods known for private labels and products around the world,” Valentine explained. “If you eat today, you probably have had one of our ingredients. Think of the yellow box of cornstarch and Wesson Oil – those are the products we make. Think corn, tapioca, rice. We’re a global organization of around 40 manufacturing facilities globally in 14 countries.”
The Bedford Park plant has been in operation since 1910. In addition to some of the training sessions taking place there, the company will offer a tour of the plant “so people can experience what the plant environment is like, meet with company representatives, do mock interviews and job readiness training, and at the end we’ll do a hiring event,” she said.
Valentine said company representatives are looking forward to working with people who might not have known much about manufacturing in terms of what a career could look like. “We have second-, third- and fourth-generation employees. We have people here for 10 to 15 years,” she said with pride. “I’m really excited to bring that newness and awareness to potential employees who didn’t know that is out there.”
The plant’s history also plays a role. “I think one of the things that is remarkable is we’ve got a long heritage in Bedford Park and the suburbs,” said Rick Wion, head of Corporate Communications at Ingredion. “We’re creating pathways for people combined with being a large US manufacturer. There are a lot of interesting angles to all that.”
Valentine and Pappageorge are optimistic about the program’s future, even though the first boot camp is still weeks away.
“We’re holding this event in October, but we’ll be holding it again in the spring and then again. This isn’t a one and done,” Valentine said.
“This will be a pilot,” Pappageorge said. “We’re looking to do additional cohort programs in the spring as well as early summer. This likely will be an ongoing thing. … I think the formula is applicable to other employers and industries to take this to the new levels.”
He called the curriculum’s relevance the most important part of the program “so that what we teach people helps them determine if this is the right career. We want people to walk out of there so they say ‘Yes,’ ‘No’ or ‘I want to know more.’ Ultimately, I think they would say we put 20 people through and I hired X number of folks who are good employees who will stick with us.
“If we were to start with the end and work backward, if we can help someone get a job at Ingredion, that’s a huge success – having students gain certifications that are relevant to a career, whether that’s Ingredion or another career. And having students say ‘It was worth the two weeks I spent on this.’”
Melinda Moore is a freelance reporter.