MMT On-Demand IMTS Spark Sessions: Mentorship and Apprenticeship

During the MoldMaking Technology Series of IMTS Spark, I will join my co-host Publisher Ryan Delahanty to”virtually” sit down with several leading mold shop owners, mold manufacturers and industry consultants to discuss some of the industry’s hot topics, trends and challenges in the hopes of leaving the viewer with a few best practices and strategies to bring back to the shop.

Our first two sessions are now available on-demand. Registration does require you to create a MySpark planner account, or login if you already have one. It’s completely free to join. Then to view the session, click on the “Add to MySpark Planner” button and watch the recorded video.

Working On and In An Apprenticeship Program

Our guests are here to speak about apprenticeships, training, mentorship and careers in mold manufacturing. They are all from Edro Engineering and Specialty Steels in Pennsylvania. Meet Nick Carroll in sales, Rob Curran in metallurgy and Mike Guscott who was (and is) instrumental in Nick and Rob’s training. I’ve known Nick and Rob for almost 5 years, and I’ve known Mike for a bit longer than that, as Edro has been a longtime supporter of MoldMaking Technology.

During this session we follow up with Nick and Rob about their journeys with training, workforce and career development since we first met in 2016. We start with a snapshot of their education and background as well as their similar start in mold manufacturing, but the different directions their careers took. Rob and Nick describe their apprenticeship program—its structure, training materials, goals, monitoring, etc. and what makes it unique. They also share the role they each played (and continue to play) in updating the program. Them Mike shares the origin of his passion for training, and the mission of Edro’s training program.

Click here to watch now.

Cross-Generational Mentorship

MoldMaking Technology set out to take a broader look at the value proposition of mentoring by launching a pilot mentorship program. We discovered that once the next generation enters the workforce, the two generations are struggling to understand each other’s perspective, and we believe that mentorship can help to get the conversation started. We identified a pilot group, initiated an informal cross-generational mentoring program earlier this year and documented their journeys.

We invite you to take the journey with us during this special discussion with two participants who will share their experiences and discuss the value of mentorship. Two female professionals with similar people-focused jobs within different companies who have varying levels of work experience and different personal backgrounds: Marion Wells, owner of Human Asset Management and Kylee Carbone, Director of Talent Development for Westminster Tool.

You can witness how mentorship can help bridge the great generational divide We believe that every shop is doing something whether they call it a mentorship or not, and this discussion will encourage shops to formalize their effort and present resources to help other individuals participate in mentorship.

Click here to watch now.