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News from Worker Development, Industry, the Economy, Education, Science, and much more! |
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Contracting? Expanding? Don't Underestimate the Tremendous Value of Your Worker's Cumulative Process Expertise |
by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.
Paraphrased many times and in many ways, the meaning is the same. “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” W. Edwards Deming put it more succinctly, “If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t what you are doing.”
How often do you hear an employer critically examining their system of worker selection, development and maximization? Has anyone tried to describe your firm's strategy for developing new-hires once on board, or developing incumbent workers to something more than a fraction of what everyone expects of them? Does it sometimes seem that all you have to train your workers to be their best once hired is, "Bob, this is Jim. Why don't you show him around?" Don't be embarrassed; it is more common than you think.
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"Decisions that look good on this quarter's balance sheet too often are made without realizing that the short-term gain grossly underestimates the long-term losses yet to be realized; reduced capacity, loss of historical expertise that made the business thrive and degradation of work process compliance."
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Has anyone tried to calculate the enormous hidden, but real, cost of unused worker capacity, manifesting itself as hiring too many people when workers you already have hired never had a formal. structured, deliberate development plan? Or how low worker productivity, lower than expected quantity and quality of work, lack of compliance with work processes, quality plans and safety requirements, eats into profits?
For capital investments, on the other hand, textbooks have been written on how to classify them, and how to predict and measure return-on-investment. It is unthinkable for a firm to invest in a $1,000,000 piece of machinery and be satisfied with it putting out 50% less than advertised. Yet, the same principles should apply to the investment in workers. Why would anyone be satisfied with every worker hired only being trained and capable of performing 30-50% of their job? Still, decisions are made to keep the underperforming equipment and not funding the training of the operators to run it...until backed against the wall and the decision is made to cut the "cost" of the workers themselves. Read More
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Thinking Past the Assessment – Unfinished Goals and Unrealized Expectations |
by Stacey Lett, Director of Operations - Eastern U.S. - Proactive Technologies, Inc.
Literally speaking, an “assessment” is the process of measuring the value, quality and/or quantity of something. There are many types of assessments, and methods for assessing. In theory, it is the process of evaluating one thing against a set of criteria to determine the match/mismatch.
There are assessments for risk, for taxes, vulnerability. There are psychological, health, and political assessments. There is a group of educational assessments that measure a variety of outcomes such as educational attainment – assessments of course content mastery, assessment of grade level attainment, assessments of Scholastic Aptitude Tests (“SAT”) that compare a student to their peers nationally and a variety of college readiness exams.
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"Determining that you, indeed, hired the right person for the job will not automatically ensure the person is successful in learning and mastering the job. The most important step in the employment process is seeing to it that the individual’s core knowledge, skills and abilities are applied in learning and mastering the tasks which they were hired to perform. That is where the money is made."
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Educational assessments have been adapted for use in workforce development and employment, used to assess a prospective employee’s suitability for a job opening, with limited success. They often measure more of what, if anything, a student learned and retained before graduating than how they match the employer’s actual job opening. Psychological assessments have been adapted to measure a prospective employee’s sociability to the workplace, morphing into a new category called “ psychometric assessments.”
We have seen a growth in the employment assessment industry over the past 2 decades, particularly after 9-11. Read More
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The Employers Have the Most Advanced Equipment Available for Training |
by Frank Gibson, Workforce Development Advisor, retired from The Ohio State University – Alber Enterprise Center
Community and technical colleges, career centers and joint vocational schools have always struggled with how to make a positive difference in workforce training. They often bear the brunt of criticism for the “skills gap” employers report when, in reality, employers share equally in the responsibility. Educational institutions have only the resources and capacity to provide core skill training upon which only employers can then provide on-the-job training to drive trainees to the job mastery needed.
Educational institutions are often tempted to assume more of the employer’s role in worker development but run into budget, feasibility and practicality limitations. This distracts them from their very important role of maintaining perpetually relevant core skill and related technical instruction that a high-quality technical education requires. Trying to provide all things to all employers never was the role of educational institutions so they should not take it too personally when good-intentioned efforts do not reach the expectations for them.
These institutions are often encouraged to use their limited resources to buy equipment or build facilities in order to support “customized, hands-on training.” The employer already has the facility and the latest technology in that community. The hard part has been convincing the employer that the school has a viable strategy that makes the employer want to imbed structured on-the-job training into the onsite natural order of learning the job. It would be even harder to convince them a training program, targeting a specific job of theirs, can be more effective offsite at a training facility than onsite.
Technology shifts so fast these days, and the focus of workforce training is so volatile, that it makes little sense for educational institutions to purchase equipment for training when only a few employers have similar equipment and the equipment may be obsolete before the school gets through the purchasing, installation and instructor training stages let alone before someone completes a 2-year training program. In addition, the company or companies that were targeted for this training might be acquired, closed or moved - leaving before any return on the investment of time, money and facilities are realized. Read More
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Tips for Establishing Your Company’s Training Strategy – Practical, Measurable, Extremely Economical and Scalable |
by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.
For most companies, an in-house training center doesn’t have to be brick and mortar, and doesn’t necessarily require additional equipment and personnel to support it. It is about focusing the resources already available to develop workers faster and to a much higher level of capacity. This does not happen by throwing dollars or classes at the problem; if that were the case many employers who did so would have solved the “skills gap” problem. It takes a more deliberate approach than that to achieve the outcome that has been out of reach, for many, for decades.
In previous articles, such as in the May, 2016 issue of the Proactive Technologies Report, “ A Simple Solution to Skill Gaps – New-Hires and Incumbents” I described a simple, easy to implement strategy for developing new-hires and incumbent workers to full capacity. I emphasized that by focusing on the outcome, the proper inputs become clearer. But by focusing on the inputs, the connection to the outcome may not necessarily be clear. Any use of irrelevant, improper or ineffective worker development inputs means unnecessary costs with low or no return, wasted time and additional opportunity costs.
Over the years, I have noticed that many employers’ idea of a worker training strategy is a hodge-podge of classroom and online training. This seems to be based on the assumption that all of the right people have been hired, they all have mastered the tasks of the job and that a few classes will drive each worker’s performance to higher levels.
Where does this assumption come from? Why do employers collectively settle for this type of model even though decades of experience and day to day worker performance offer many clues that this model of worker training is not as effective as hoped? Too often the feedback from workers attending classes is, “I don’t know why the company had me attend that class.” “That was a waste of time.” In an informal way, this is a form of “content validation,” or in this case “invalidation.”
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“Conceptually, a better overall approach is simple, accurate, efficient and effective. If an employer isn’t including these simple steps in their worker selection, development and performance evaluation strategy they might be wasting company time, money and resources.”
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This legacy approach is a comfortable model to explain. Everyone has attended school; some higher education as well. It is what we grew up with and the sentiment has become acceptance from familiarity. Some accept this approach because they are unaware of better alternatives. Read More
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Proactive Technologies, Inc. Worker Development News
Industry News
Financial News
International News
International Trade News
Education and Workforce Development News
Training and Organizational Development News
Quality News
Science
Cyber and IT News
Human Resources Management News
Environmental, Health & Safety News
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Proactive Technologies, Inc.™ -
capturing worker expertise to build and support job specific, task-based worker development programs (with metric-based solutions) since 1986.
Experience the power of the
Develop all the expert workers you need in a fraction of the time, with a fraction of the investment! Increased worker capacity, work quality and quantity, and worker compliance (ISO9001:2015, AS9100D, IATF16949, engineering and quality specifications, and safety requirements)."
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Proactive Technologies' Publications Archive
While at our website, check out past newsletters, articles and more. Helping employers to unlock worker value since 1986!
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Onsite and group presentations
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U.S. Department of Commerce - Bureau of Economic Analysis |
Gross Domestic Product, Fourth Quarter 2022 (Advance Estimate)
Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022, after increasing 3.2 percent in the third quarter. The increase in the fourth quarter primarily reflected increases in inventory investment and consumer spending that were partly offset by a decrease in housing investment. Read Report
Personal Income and Outlays, December, 2022
Personal income increased $49.5 billion, or 0.2 percent at a monthly rate, while consumer spending decreased $41.6 billion, or 0.2 percent, in December. The increase in personal income primarily reflected increases in compensation and proprietors’ income. The personal saving rate (that is, personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income) was 3.4 percent in December, compared with 2.9 percent in November. Read Report
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U.S. Department of Commerce - Bureau of the Census |
Advanced Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders
New orders for manufactured durable goods in December, up four of the last five months, increased $15.3 billion or 5.6 percent to $286.9 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. December 2022: +5.6° % Change; November 2022 (r): -1.7° % Change. Read Report
Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders
New orders for manufactured goods in November, down following three consecutive monthly increases, decreased $9.8 billion or 1.8 percent to $543.3 billion. November 2022: -1.8° % Change; October 2022 (r): +0.4° % Change. Read Report
Household Pulse Survey
What is the Household Pulse Survey?
The U.S. Census Bureau, in collaboration with multiple federal agencies, is in a unique position to produce data on the social and economic effects of coronavirus on American households. The Household Pulse Survey is designed to deploy quickly and efficiently, collecting data to measure household experiences during the coronavirus pandemic. Data will be disseminated in near real-time to inform federal and state response and recovery planning. Read Data
Small Business Pulse Survey
The Small Business Pulse Survey (Business Pulse) measures the effect of changing business conditions during the Coronavirus pandemic on our nation's small businesses. Business Pulse complements existing U.S. Census Bureau data collections by providing high-frequency, detailed information on the challenges small businesses are facing during the Coronavirus pandemic as well as their participation in federal programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program. Read Report
Monthly State Retail Sales
The Monthly State Retail Sales (MSRS) is the Census Bureau's new experimental data product featuring modeled state-level retail sales. This is a blended data product using Monthly Retail Trade Survey data, administrative data, and third-party data. Year-over-year percent changes are available for Total Retail Sales excluding Nonstore Retailers as well as 11 retail North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) retail subsectors. These data are provided by state and NAICS codes beginning with January 2019. The Census Bureau plans to continue to improve the methodology to be able to publish more data in the future. Access Tables
Economic Indicators
A composite of many of the requested domestic facts and figures. Visit Table
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U. S. Department of Labor Statistics |
Consumer Price Index
In December, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers decreased 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 6.5 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.3 percent in December (SA); up 5.7 percent over the year (NSA). Read Report
Producer Price Index
The Producer Price Index for final demand declined 0.5 percent in December. Prices for final demand goods decreased 1.6 percent, and the index for final demand services rose 0.1 percent. The index for final demand increased 6.2 percent in 2022. Read Report
Job Openings and Labor Turnover
The number of job openings increased to 11.0 million on the last business day of December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, the number of hires and total separations changed little at 6.2 million and 5.9 million, respectively. Within separations, quits (4.1 million) and layoffs and discharges (1.5 million) changed little. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector, by industry, and by establishment size class. Read Report
Unemployment Rate for States
Unemployment Rates for States, Seasonally Adjusted. Read Report
Civilian Labor Participation Rate
For a 20 year chart of the U.S. Civilian Labor Participation Rate. Read Report
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U.S. Private Sector Job Quality Index |
University of Buffalo - School of Management
The U.S. Private Sector Job Quality Index (JQI) assesses job quality in the United States by measuring desirable higher-wage/higher-hour jobs versus lower-wage/lower-hour jobs. The JQI results also may serve as a proxy for the overall health of the U.S. jobs market, since the index enables month-by-month tracking of the direction and degree of change in high-to-low job composition.
By tracking this information, policymakers and financial market participants can be more fully informed of past developments, current trends, and likely future developments in the absence of policy intervention. Economists and international organizations have in recent years developed other, complementary conceptions of job quality such as those addressing the emotional satisfaction employees derive from their jobs.
For the purposes of this JQI, “job quality” means the weekly dollar-income a job generates for an employee. Payment, after all, is a primary reason why people work: the income generated by a job being necessary to maintain a standard of living, to provide for the essentials of life and, hopefully, to save for retirement, among other things. Read Report
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The Fresh Economic Development Strategy Emerging in the Midwest |
Route Fifty Today - Sharon O'Malley
Instead of prioritizing tax breaks for new factories, some cities are trying to attract residents by promoting quality of life benefits.
A growing handful of Midwestern cities, like Columbus, Ohio, Traverse City, Michigan, and Carmel, Indiana, are reaching beyond traditional incentives for recruiting business and industry, focusing on how to expand their populations by promoting the region as a good place to live.
“This is probably the fastest-growing innovation in economic development for 50 years,” said economist Michael Hicks, a professor at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, where he runs the Center for Business and Economic Research. Read Article
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‘Where Are the Big Wins?’ How I Got Fired as a Lean Consultant |
IndustryWeek - Rick Bohan, Ron Jacques
Too many senior leaders don't want to reflect on their own behaviors, and how those behaviors hurt the organization.
Just the other day, I (Rick) got fired six months into a lean consulting initiative that was to have lasted two years. During those six months, I (along with a number of energetic operators and engineers) started several relevant projects.
- Workplace organization and visual factory throughout the plant
- Development of run sheets and changeover checklists
- Reduction of unplanned downtime
- Organization of the Work in Progress staging area to facilitate “first in, first out” pull scheduling
You might think that this was an aggressive schedule, or you might think that it was a light schedule … but it’s not nothing, right? So, what went wrong? Read Article
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A Talent Shortage Is the Perfect Time to Invest in Your Existing Team |
IndustryWeek - Scott Leon
With competition for talent fierce in the New England biotech industry, medical device manufacturer KMC Systems tried a different approach.
The med tech and biotech industries are booming in New England. In Massachusetts alone, the biopharma sector grew 13.2% last year, and the state is the largest recipient of NIH funding in the country (source).
This continued expansion is good for the New England economy, but it puts enormous pressure on companies looking to attract and hire talent in the sector. Life sciences companies must fill multiple positions as the industry grows, from senior management, engineers and technicians, to manufacturing production workers. For these companies, talent management strategies should focus as much on retention as hiring. Read Article
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Tesla Faces Higher Lithium Prices as Supplier Amends Deal |
Automotive News - Bloomberg
Unlike prior agreements where prices are locked in, Piedmont’s deal with Tesla relies on a floating mechanism based on market prices, according to the statement.
Tesla Inc. is set to pay more for the lithium that powers its EV batteries after a supplier amended their deal amid a relentless price rally of the metal.
Piedmont Lithium Inc. will now supply an increased 125,000 metric tons of lithium concentrate to the EV giant starting in the second half of this year through the end of 2025, according to a statement Tuesday. Unlike prior agreements where prices are locked in, Piedmont’s deal with Tesla relies on a floating mechanism based on market prices, according to the statement. Read Article
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Hyundai, Kia Expect Vehicle Sales to Jump 10% in 2023 |
Automotive News - Reuters
SEOUL -- Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia forecast that their combined global vehicle sales will jump nearly 10 percent in 2023, even as last year's sales fell short of target due to supply chain disruptions.
The companies sold 6.85 million vehicles in 2022, about 4 percent less than their combined target of 7.16 million vehicles, largely due to problems including chip and component shortages.
The companies said they would target global sales of 7.52 million vehicles this year. Read Article
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Qcells to Invest $2.5 Billion to Expand Solar Panel Production Capacity in Georgia |
IndustryWeek - Anna Smith
“By building out a strong, reliable solar supply chain in America, we will tackle the climate crisis head-on while also creating good paying, manufacturing jobs right here at home.” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm.
Striving to bring total solar panel production capacity in Georgia to 8.4-gigawatts by 2024, Qcells will invest more than $2.5 billion to establish a fully integrated, silicon-based solar supply chain, according to an announcement made by South Korea's Hanwha Solutions, Qcells’ parent company.
Qcells will add a new facility in Cartersville, Georgia, and it will also expand an existing site in Dalton, Georgia by building a third module manufacturing facility. The new facility will manufacture solar ingots, wafers, cells and finished panels, while the Dalton facility will assemble an additional 2 GW of solar panels.
Bringing 2,500 jobs to the state, “we are announcing the largest clean energy manufacturing project in American history, with thousands of solar jobs and billions of dollars on the way to Georgia,” said U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia. Read Article
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Stay with ESG Goals, They’re Good for Business and the World |
EHS Today - Adrienne Selko
EcoVadis says the "pace of sustainability progress is steadily accelerating, with companies showcasing a higher level of maturity on social and environmental topics in 2021 than ever before."
Sustainability in business has reached beyond gathering metrics and pleasing stakeholders. It’s become a mission unto itself. This sentiment was embodied in the statement that Richard Eyram, chief customer officer at EcoVadis made when he was appointed to his current position. “We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform businesses across the globe into a force for good,” he said. He sees the role of his company, to “engage and inspire an entire generation of business leaders to make sustainability a priority and drive the positive impact our plant and society desperately need.”
And it seems he’s not alone in this quest, as a recent survey from Gartnerreleased in November of 2022, revealed that a majority of companies (80%) surveyed plan on increasing their investment in sustainability over the next two years. Read Article
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Mixed Results at P&G as Consumers Adapt to Higher Prices |
IndustryWeek - Agence France-Presse
"Consumers don't stop washing their hair or doing their laundry," Chief Financial Officer Andre Schulten said on a conference call with reporters.
Procter & Gamble reported a dip in quarterly profits Thursday, following a decline in sales as the consumer products giant offset lower volumes with price increases.
Executives described consumers as generally resilient as the maker of Bounty paper towels and Tide clothing detergent reported profits in line with analyst expectations.
Chief Executive Jon Moeller said results were "solid" despite a "very difficult cost and operating environment" in which some raw materials remained under inflationary pressures and the strong dollar stayed a headwind. Read Article
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LG Energy Solution, Honda to Build Battery Factory in Ohio |
Assembly Magazine
JEFFERSONVILLE, OH—South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution has entered into a partnership with Japanese carmaker Honda Motor to build a new battery factory here.
Construction of the joint venture battery factory, tentatively named L-H Battery Co., is slated to begin this year with the aim of finishing by the end of 2024. Production of lithium-ion battery cells could begin in 2025. Read Article
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GM Investing $918 Million in Four US Assembly Plants |
Assembly Magazine
FLINT, MI—General Motors Co. plans to invest $918 million in four U.S. manufacturing sites, including $854 million to prepare these facilities to produce the company’s sixth generation small-block V-8 engine and an additional $64 million in Rochester, NY, and Defiance, OH, for castings and components to support EV production. These investments will enable the company to strengthen its full-size truck and SUV business and support the company’s growing EV product portfolio.
The announcement brings GM’s U.S. manufacturing facility investment commitments to more than $37 billion since 2013, including the carmaker’s joint venture plants with battery manufacturer Ultium Cells LLC. Read Article
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The Form and Substance of Business Incentives |
Area Development - George Tobjy, Managing Director of Client Services, Maxis Advisors
Government at all levels continues to provide numerous incentives to companies in varied industrial sectors in order to generate jobs and economic prosperity.
An incentive award of up to $9 billion in federal, state, and local benefits for Micron’s $100 billion chip fab plant near Syracuse, New York, if employment and investment projections are achieved, has set the high bar for a U.S. project incentives award.
More than $1.3 billion in incentives has been approved to attract Panasonic’s EV battery facility which is projected to create 4,000 jobs in De Soto, Kansas.
North Carolina was successful in bringing Apple’s 3,000 jobs in machine learning and artificial intelligence to Research Triangle Park with the help of an incentives package estimated at $846 million. Read Article
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Bringing Manufacturing Back to the US Requires Political Will, but Success Hinges on Training American Workers |
Area Development – The Conversation, Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Distinguished Professor, Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics, & Interim Head, Department of Sustainability, Rochester Institute of Technology
Supply chain disruptions during COVID-19 brought to light how interdependent nations are when it comes to manufacturing. The inability of the U.S. to produce such needed goods as test kits and personal protective equipment during the pandemic revealed our vulnerabilities as a nation. China’s rise as a global production superpower has further underscored the weaknesses of American manufacturing.
In addition to fixing supply chain disruptions, bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. will benefit national security. Advanced computer chips, for example, are disproportionately made by a single firm, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. These microchips are critical to smartphones, medical devices and self-driving cars, as well as military technology. TSMC, from a U.S. national security perspective, is located too close to China. Taiwan’s proximity to China makes it vulnerable because the Chinese government threatens to use force to unify Taiwan with the mainland. Read Article
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Proven Solutions for Employers and Education
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about K & D Consulting, LLC
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Classes alone will not close the "skills gap," but structured on-the-job training can...every time! |
Under-capacity of workers is an enormous source of untapped value and unrealized return on worker investment. In addition, standardizing expert task performance -between workers and shifts - can add to worker ROI through lower scrap and rework.
- Increased worker capacity, productivity, work quantity, work quality and compliance (specifications, ISO/AS/IATF programs and safety mandates);
- Decreased internal costs of training
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Higher return on worker investment! You would be surprised how small of an investment is needed to unlock enormous returns.
If budgets are tight, Proactive Technologies, Inc. can be an extension to your training department, with our technical implementation support - included with every project!
There's nothing to lose by taking a minute to contact us to learn more. Copyright © 2019-23 Proactive Technologies, Inc.™
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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Core Skill Development and Enhancement |
- Skill, Knowledge and Behavioral Assessments
- Intro and Advanced Blueprint Reading Courses Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing
- Courses Front Line Supervisor Training
- Training Materials and Online Courses
Copyright © 2019-23 Lifetime Learning
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If your institution is interested in becoming a Proactive Technologies, Inc. project partner, contact a representative for more information. |
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CFOs in 2023 Plan to Keep Pay Raises Below Inflation: Fed |
CFO Dive - Jim Tyson, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
- CFOs plan to raise pay by 3.3% in 2023 to adjust for inflation even while acknowledging that their compensation increases this year lagged the 7.1% surge in the Consumer Price Index by about 2 percentage points, the Federal Reserve Banks of Richmond and Atlanta found in a quarterly survey.
- CFOs are pessimistic about economic growth next year, projecting just a 0.7% gain in gross domestic project (GDP), the two Fed district banks said Wednesday, describing a survey conducted with Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. CFOs also expect price pressures to ease somewhat in 2023 but remain high.
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“Inflation remains the top worry of CFOs, alongside availability and quality of labor, followed by tightening monetary policy,” according to John Graham, survey director and a Fuqua professor. Read Article
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IRS Delivers ‘Crucial Guidance’ on 15% Minimum Tax |
CFO Dive - Maura Webber Sadovi, Senior Editor
Dive Brief:
- Amid a surge of year-end tax guidance, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) handed financial executives and CFOs some interim advice on issues related to the 15% Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax (CAMT) that many corporate tax preparers have been puzzling over since the new tax was signed into law as part of the Inflation Reduction Act in August.
- The new minimum tax on large companies that earn more than $1 billion annually triggered a groundswell of questions last year from a growing chorus of voices — ranging from the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) to Ernst & Young (EY) — who have been pressing the U.S. Treasury for guidance, particularly on how to calculate whether a firm is subject to the new tax in cases involving mergers and acquisitions (M&A). The tax went into effect Jan. 1.
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In its Notice 2023-7, the IRS said it “clarifies which corporations the CAMT applies to and how the alternative minimum tax is calculated…Critically, it also gives small corporates an easy method for determining that the new alternative minimum tax does not apply to them,” according to a Dec. 28 IRS news release. Read Article
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Short Sellers Score $300 Billion in 2022; Bets Against Tesla, Amazon, Meta Bring in the Most |
MarketWatch - Wallace WitkowskiFollow
U.S. short sellers profited heavily from the chaos of 2022, to the tune of $300.1 billion, with communication-services stocks being the most profitable.
Profit from short selling U.S. stocks and American depositary receipts, on a mark-to-market basis, rose 30.8% in 2022, with an average short interest of $973.33 billion invested, according to a Wednesday report by S3
Partners Research. That followed three tough years in a row where short sellers lost a total of $571.76 billion, S3 Managing Director of Predictive Analytics Ihor Dusaniwsky said in a Wednesday note. Read and Hear Article
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Class-action Alleges UnitedHealthcare Underpaid Out-of-network Providers |
HR Dive - Emilie Shumway, Editor
In a class-action lawsuit filed Dec. 21, health insurance beneficiaries accused UnitedHealthcare of a “self-serving scheme … to fuel its own profits at the expense of the members” (Popovchak et al. v. UnitedHealth Group Inc., No. 1:22-cv-10756 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 21, 2022)).
According to the complaint, UHC uses “repricer” data — based on discounted rates insurance companies have paid for services — rather than competitive fees in a provider’s geographic area to determine how much to pay for out-of-network charges. Because the provider is not obligated to accept the discounted rate as full payment, the complaint alleges, the plan member becomes liable for the unpaid portion of the bill. Read Article
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Skyrocketing Pharmaceutical Imports to the U.S. Endanger National Security |
Coalition for a Prosperous America – Andrew Heritage
Key Points
- U.S. pharmaceutical imports have skyrocketed in the last ten years, with imports from China, India and Mexico leading the surge.
- India and China are increasingly the leading U.S. source for generic pharmaceuticals, which account for 90% of all prescriptions written in the U.S.
- In 2021, China was the leading source for U.S. pharmaceutical imports measured by weight, accounting for 190 million kilograms (418 million lbs) or 23% of total pharma imports.
- Growing U.S. dependence on China and India for widely-used generic pharmaceuticals creates serious risks to national security and patient safety. China now accounts for 95 percent of imports of ibuprofen, 91 percent of imports of hydrocortisone, 70 percent of imports of acetaminophen, and 40 to 45 percent of imports of penicillin.
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China’s and India’s dominance of the U.S. generic pharmaceutical supply chain is growing. Read Article
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Workers Cheer as City Council Passes Stronger Protections Against Wage Theft |
Colorado Public Radio – Denverite, Rebecca Tauber
City Council passed a bill that was years in the making, as labor activists and union members cheered. Employers steal an estimated $728 million per year from workers in Colorado.
Carpenters, home care workers, labor activists and many others filled City Council Chambers as well as an overflow room and the hallway Monday as City Council unanimously passed an ordinance providing stronger protections for workers against wage theft.
The bill comes after the auditor’s office recovered a record $1.1 million in stolen wages for workers in 2022. Read Article
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FASB Continues Push for Corporate Expense Disclosures |
CFO Dive - Maura Webber Sadovi, Senior Editor
Dive Brief:
- The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is poised this week to delve back into an ongoing project that could ultimately require companies to break out detailed expense information in their income statements.
- The project is one of several initiatives that have been a priority for stakeholders under the general theme of disaggregation, Chair Richard Jones previously told CFO Dive. But it has been moving relatively slowly through the standard setting process and in October Jones expressed concern that the board not get bogged down in details such as those around selling expenses.
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CFOs should be mindful of the reporting requirement changes that could be coming their way and watching for when or whether the income statement expense projects move to the exposure draft stage which signals that it is more imminent, said Kecia Williams Smith, an accounting professor at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. “Stay tuned,” she said. Read Article
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M&A Spurred Share Price Gains During Q4: WTW |
CFO Dive - Jim Tyson, Senior Reporter
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Spencer Platt via Getty Images
Dive Brief:
- The share prices of companies worldwide that engaged in mergers and acquisitions during the fourth quarter outperformed equity markets by 5.2 percentage points, with North American deal-makers surging ahead of regional indexes by 9.4 percentage points, Willis Towers Watson said Wednesday.
- The boost to acquiring companies during Q4 concluded a year in which the volume of deals valued at more than $100 million sagged 19%, from 1,047 transactions in 2021 to 853 in 2022, WTW said in a joint study with Bayes Business School in London.
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“Geopolitical tensions, inflation and rising interest rates had an inevitable impact last year on deal activity,” Duncan Smithson, senior director of M&A Consulting at WTW, said. He predicted a rebound in deals to pre-pandemic levels in 2023. Read Article
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The ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Bubble Is About to Burst |
The Atlantic
Many Gen Zers have rejected traditional credit in favor of new-age layaway programs, which are riskier than they may seem.
As familiar as Americans are with the concept of credit, many of us, upon encountering a sandwich that can be financed in four easy payments of $3.49, might think: Yikes, we’re in trouble.
Putting a banh mi on layaway—this is the world that “buy now, pay later” programs have wrought. In a few short years, financial-technology firms such as Affirm, Afterpay, and Klarna, which allow consumers to pay for purchases over several interest-free installments, have infiltrated nearly every corner of e-commerce. People are buying cardigans with this kind of financing. They’re buying groceries and OLED TVs. During the summer of 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, they bought enough Peloton products to account for 30 percent of Affirm’s revenue. And though Americans have used layaway programs since the Great Depression, today’s pay-later plans flip the order of operations: Rather than claiming an item and taking it home only after you’ve paid in full, consumers using these modern payment plans can acquire an item for just a small deposit and a cursory credit check. Read Article
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Medicare Advantage Plans Are Lucrative for Insurance Companies |
Concurrence Physicians Solutions
Medicare Advantage Plans Are Lucrative for Insurance Companies.
In an effort to control Medicare costs, the government few years ago introduced Medicare Advantage plans which are administered by private insurance companies.
Medicare pays the insurance company a fixed amount per enrollee per year to manage the care provided to the beneficiary who enrolled with the insurance company.
These beneficiaries opt out of the traditional Medicare plan administered by the Government. However, they may re-enroll with traditional Medicare during open enrollment. Read Article
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63% of Organizations Preparing for an M&A Deal This Year |
CFO.com - Adam Zaki
Mergers and acquisitions are not only a viable strategy for growth but also a way to boost technology, per a Deloitte report.
Financial executives are putting their 2023 plans into action, comprised of a variety of different strategies. One that should make a comeback? Despite a recent slump in M&A, new Deloitte research suggests a majority of financial teams are planning on conducting some form of acquisition over the next twelve months.
In a survey conducted in Oct. 2022 of over 1,700 professionals involved in M&A for their organizations, nearly two-thirds (63%) said their companies are preparing for an M&A deal this year. Read Article
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1 in 5 Americans Say U.S. Healthcare is in ‘a State of Crisis’ |
MarketWatch - Nicole Lyn Pesce
New poll finds most Americans rate healthcare quality across the country as either ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ for the first time in 20 years, driven by politics, high prices and more limited access to abortion.
The share of Americans rating the nation’s healthcare as ‘just fair’ or ‘poor’ now outnumbers those who think it’s ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ for the first time in 20 years.
Americans don’t feel so good about healthcare in this country.
A new Gallup poll finds that for the first time in 20 years, the percentage of U.S. adults rating the nation’s healthcare as “just fair” or “poor” now exceeds those who consider it to be “excellent” or “good.”
What’s more, 20% said that the U.S. healthcare system is in a “state of crisis,” which is the highest that measure has been in more than a decade. Read Article
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Fraud Trial Begins Over Elon Musk's 2018 Tesla Tweet |
IndustryWeek - Agence France-Presse
Musk was sued by shareholders for allegedly costing them billions of dollars with an August 2018 tweet that he had sufficient funding to take Tesla private.
Trial began Tuesday over whether Elon Musk committed fraud with a 2018 tweet saying he was poised to take Tesla private.
The choosing of jurors who will judge the evidence started in a San Francisco federal courtroom, where Tesla chief Musk was expected to be among those called to testify.
The case dates back to August 2018 when Musk tweeted that he had sufficient funding to take Tesla private, causing a whirlwind in the company's share price. Read Article
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PBGC Approves Supplemented SFA Application for GCIU Local 119B Plan |
Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) announced today that it has approved the supplemented application submitted to the Special Financial Assistance (SFA) Program by the Printers League Graphic Communications International Union Local 119B New York Pension Plan (GCIU Local 119B Plan). The plan, based in East Farmingdale, New York, covers 1,213 participants in the printing industry.
Plans that applied for and received SFA under the interim final SFA rule issued in July 2021 are permitted to supplement their applications under the provisions of the final SFA rule issued in July 2022. The GCIU Local 119B Plan will receive $15.9 million in supplemented SFA, which is in addition to $90.6 million in SFA approved for the plan in August 2022 under the interim final rule. SFA will better ensure that the plan can continue to pay retirement benefits without reduction for many years into the future. Read Article
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EXPLAINER-Wall Street's Market Glitches and the Repercussions |
Nasdaq -Reuters, Chuck Mikolajczak
NEW YORK, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) suffered a technical problem at the opening of trading on Tuesday that caused more than 80 stocks to be halted for several minutes, creating confusion among traders about which orders were filled and where stocks were trading, and harking back to the "flash crash" of 2010.
WHAT WAS THE "FLASH CRASH" OF 2010?
On May 6, 2010 when equities were recovering from the financial crisis and in the early stages of what would become a near-eleven year bull market, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell almost 700 points in mere minutes, briefly erasing an estimated $1 trillion in market capitalization. Read Article
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US to Jack Up Fees for Big Mergers |
CFO Dive - Alexei Alexis, Reporter
Filing fees are expected to soar this year and companies will need to prepare for increased regulatory scrutiny of M&A deals.
U.S. filing fees for large merger deals are expected to skyrocket — by as much as 700% in some cases this year — thanks to provisions of the omnibus spending package passed by Congress in late December.
The new fees, which have not yet gone into effect, are intended to raise additional revenue for U.S. antitrust enforcement efforts at the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice.
“This is a big infusion of capital that can fund the Biden administration’s aggressive antitrust agenda,” Michael Sibarium, an antitrust partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, said in an interview. Read Article
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Financial Book Reviews for Our Time |
Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power
by David Dayen
From the airlines we fly to the food we eat, how a tiny group of corporations have come to dominate every aspect of our lives–by one of our most intrepid and accomplished journalists.
If you’re looking for a book . . . that will get your heart pumping and your blood boiling and that will remind you why we’re in these fights–add this one to your list. –Senator Elizabeth Warren on David Dayen’s Chain of Title
Over the last forty years our choices have narrowed, our opportunities have shrunk, and our lives have become governed by a handful of very large and very powerful corporations. Today, practically everything we buy, everywhere we shop, and every service we secure comes from a heavily concentrated market.
This is a world where four major banks control most of our money, four airlines shuttle most of us around the country, and four major cell phone providers connect most of our communications. Read Book Review
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Mexico, Latin America, South America and the Caribbean |
‘A Cowardly and Vile Attack’: Over 400 Arrested After Bolsonaro Supporters Storm Brazil’s Congress
CNBC – Sam Meredith
KEY POINTS
- World leaders, including some of Brazil’s regional neighbors, condemned Sunday’s attack on Brazil’s Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace and reaffirmed their support for Lula’s administration.
- Chilean President Gabriel Boric described the attack on Brazil’s institutions as a “cowardly and vile attack on democracy.”
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Jimena Blanco, head of Americas at Verisk Maplecroft, said there were many similarities between the attack on strategic sites in Brazil’s capital and the Jan. 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol two years ago. Read Article
Genaro Garcia Luna: Mexico's Former Security Chief on Trial in US Over El Chapo Bribes
BBC News - Madeline Halpert
The man who once led the fight against the drug cartels in Mexico will go on trial this week in New York, accused of taking bribes in return for allowing drug shipments safe passage.
Prosecutors say Genaro García Luna took millions of dollars from Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa drug cartel, to allow the group to operate in Mexico.
The former security chief, arrested in 2019 in the US, has pleaded not guilty. Read Article
The Mystery Buses Behind Brazil Congress Attack
BBC News - Bernd Debusmann Jr
Hundreds of the protesters who stormed Brazil's Congress have been arrested but mystery still surrounds the identity of the people pulling the strings. Could a fleet of buses seized by police hold the key?
Two months ago, 60-year-old Odair boarded a bus in the southeastern state of Parana, bound for Brazil's capital more than 1,460 km (907 miles) away.
His mission: to spend weeks showing his support for a man he affectionately refers to as "the Captain" - former President Jair Bolsonaro. Read Article
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Canada, Europe and Great Britain |
New Year, New Rules for German Businesses as Supply Chain Act Comes into Force
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH – Politico, Gabriel Rinaldi
From 2023, German companies must ensure that human rights are respected along their supply chains.
In the new year, German companies will be forced to monitor their supply chains more strictly.
On January 1, the new Supply Chain Act comes into force, a piece of legislation that dates back to Angela Merkel's time as chancellor. As a result, companies with more than 3,000 employees will be required to comply with certain obligations for their entire supply chain.
According to the Development Ministry, about 900 German companies will be affected. From 2024, the law will also apply to companies with more than 1,000 employees. Read Article
Ukrainian Red Cross Warns of Land Mine Threat 'for Decades'
DeustcheWelle - Wesley Rahn
The head of the Ukrainian Red Cross has told DW that Russian land mines are spread across "significant areas" of the country. He said the mines pose a threat to civilians, humanitarian work and reconstruction efforts.
As Russia's invasion of Ukraine drags on into another year, Maksym Dotsenko, secretary general of Ukraine's Red Cross, told DW that his organization is facing a "huge" humanitarian challenge.
This includes supporting internally displaced people who live in the west of Ukraine, evacuating people from the east, and supporting those whose apartments and houses were damaged or destroyed.
However, Dotsenko said land mines left behind by Russian troops make accessing affected areas "very difficult" for humanitarian workers, who cannot always reach those in need due to security reasons. Read Article
Bank of Canada Raises Interest Rate Again — But Hints That Hikes May be Done for Now
CBC News - Pete Evans
Central bank has been trying to wrestle sky-high inflation into submission. Bank of Canada officials discuss interest rate decision
The Bank of Canada has raised its benchmark interest rate again, to 4.5 per cent.
The move was widely expected by economists as the bank tries to wrestle record-high inflation into submission.
It's the eighth time in less than a year that the bank has hiked its trendsetting rate — a move that will make borrowing money more expensive. Read Article
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As Kishida Meets Biden, What is the State of the US-Japan Alliance?
Brookings Institution - Mireya Solís, Director - Center for East Asia Policy Studies Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for East Asia Policy Studies Philip Knight Chair in Japan Studies
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s first visit to Washington as leader on January 13, 2023 marked a major transformation in the U.S.-Japan alliance. Japan’s new security reforms and Tokyo’s proactive response to the Ukraine crisis have been warmly received in Washington. They underscore a Japan more determined to strengthen its own defense capabilities and contribute to regional deterrence, and reveal new potential to leverage the bilateral partnership to address serious challenges to the international order.
Not surprisingly, U.S.-Japan relations moved at a fast tempo in the weeks and days prior to the arrival of the Japanese leader, with major policy announcements and bilateral agreements. At the end of 2022, the Japanese government revised its National Security Strategy (NSS), National Defense Strategy, and Defense Buildup Program. A major pledge ran through the revised strategic documents: that Tokyo is ready to marshal its comprehensive national power to meet the challenges derived from the most severe security environment of the past 70 years. Read Article
China Covid: Coffins Sell Out as Rural Losses Mount
BBC News - Stephen McDonell in Shanxi
The BBC has found evidence of a considerable number of Covid-related deaths in China's rural regions, as the virus spread from big cities to more remote areas with older populations.
In Xinzhou region of northern Shanxi province the coffin makers have been busy. We watched the skilled craftsmen as they carved elaborate decorations into the freshly-cut wood. Over recent months, they say, they haven't had time to stop.
One villager, a customer, told us that at times the coffins have sold out. Laughing with a dose of the black humour you find in the area, he added that those in the funeral industry had been "earning a small fortune". Read Article
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Asia, India and Australia |
Jacinda Ardern: New Zealand PM Quits Citing Burnout
BBC News – Tiffanie Turnbull
Jacinda Ardern is quitting as New Zealand prime minister ahead of this year’s election saying she no longer has “enough in the tank” to lead.
The shock announcement comes as polling indicates her Labour Party party faces a difficult path to re-election on 14 October.
Ms Ardern choked up as she detailed how six “challenging” years in the job had taken a toll. Read Article
Australians Urged to be Vigilant Against Continued Cyber Attacks from Iran's Regime
Cybersecurity Dive - Nassim Khadem
Iranian Revolutionary Guard-affiliated actors have launched targeted cyber attacks on Australian organisations, with the aim of using the data obtained for extortion, a report tabled in parliament shows.
But the federal government won’t disclose information about whether it is considering listing the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – the military arm of Iran’s government — as a terrorist organisation, or how much worth of assets and/or investments that people connected to the regime hold in Australia. Read Article
India: War in Ukraine Robs Diamond City of its Sparkle
DeutscheWelle - Murali Krishnan New Delhi
The Russia-Ukraine war has prompted a crisis in the city of Surat in western India leading to thousands of diamond industry workers losing their jobs.
Mahesh Patel, 41, has been cutting and polishing diamonds for nearly two decades for various companies in the city of Surat, one of the world's largest polishing hubs in India's western Gujarat state.
His years of experience and keen eye for detail used to bring him a decent income working in crowded markets of Surat's Mahidharpura region. Read Article
Jamia, JNU: India Students Angry After Screenings of BBC Modi Documentary Blocked
BBC
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always denied any role in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Tensions have flared at two of India's best-known universities over the screening of a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his role in deadly religious riots in 2002.
Reports say police detained students at Jamia Millia Islamia university in Delhi ahead of a planned screening.
On Tuesday students at another Delhi university said power and internet had been cut to stop them showing the film. Read Article
Huge Mortgage Change About to Strike Thousands of Aussie Homeowners
News.AU.com - Tarric Brooker
Thousands of Aussie homeowners are rightly concerned about a radical change to their mortgages. Here’s how badly you might be worse off.
Higher mortgage rates are dissuading potential homebuyers across Canada, according to new housing numbers from the Canadian Real Estate Association, while some sellers are failing to turn a profit on previously high-priced properties.
In recent months there has been a great deal of debate surrounding the “fixed rate mortgage cliff” and its impact on the housing market and the broader economy.
Opinions on the issue range from it being viewed as a relative non-event, to those who view it with far greater levels of concern.
Rather than getting bogged down in the opinions of economists and various commentators, we’ll be looking at a number of different data points from the Reserve Bank, the major banks and other data providers so that you can come to your own conclusions. Read Article
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Africa, Middle East, Eastern Europe and Russia |
Could Africa Replace China as the World’s Source of Rare Earth Elements?
Brookings Institution – Gracelin Baskaran, Consultant, Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions Group – World Bank Bye-Fellow in Economics – University of Cambridge
Rare earth elements—a group of 17 metals—are critical for both human and national security. They are used in electronics (computers, televisions and smart phones), in renewable energy technology (wind turbines, solar panels, and electric vehicle batteries), and in national defense (jet engines, missile guidance and defense systems, satellites, GPS equipment, and more). In 2021, global demand for rare earths reached 125,000 metric tons. By 2030, it is forecast to reach 315,000 tons. Read Article
Pakistan: Five Major Issues to Watch in 2023
Brooking Institution – Madiha Afzal, Fellow – Foreign Policy, Center for Middle East Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology
2022: POLITICAL INSTABILITY, POLARIZATION, AND AN ELECTION YEAR
Politics will likely consume much of Pakistan’s time and attention in 2023, as it did in 2022. The country’s turn to political instability last spring did not end with a dramatic no-confidence vote in parliament last April that ousted then Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan from office. Instability and polarization have only heightened since then: Khan has led a popular opposition movement against the incumbent coalition government and the military, staging a series of large rallies across the country through the year.
The struggle for power in Pakistan continues into 2023. While the incumbent government has not ceded to Khan’s demand for early elections, country-wide elections are constitutionally mandated to be held by October this year. It benefits the government politically to hold them off as long as it possibly can as it tries to dig itself out of Pakistan’s urgent economic crisis and its lackluster domestic performance (its diplomatic foreign policy approach has fared better, but that may not matter for elections). The last year has cost it precious political capital, and Khan’s party did very well in a set of by-elections held in July and October. The state has tried to mire Khan and his party in legal cases, relying on a familiar playbook used against opposition politicians in Pakistan, albeit to limited effect, with the courts’ involvement. Read Article
Food Price Shocks and Diets Among Poor Households in Egypt
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH – International Food Policy Research Institute, Kibron Abay, Maureen Karachwalla, Sikandra Kurdi and Yusra Salama
Because of its dependence on food imports, Egypt is particularly vulnerable to the high world food prices and trade shocks triggered by Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Imports account for more than 40% of Egypt’s calorie consumption, and the country is the world’s largest importer of wheat, with about 85% coming from Russia and Ukraine before the war began. Since then, supply disruptions, high global market prices, and other factors have led to sharp rises in domestic food inflation, which reached 31% in November. This in turn is a major driver of rising overall annual inflation, which soared from 6% to 19% in between January and November 2022 (CBE, 2022)—the highest rate in five years. Read Article
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Proactive Technologies' Project Partners |
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Frank J. Gibson Consulting |
"One thing is certain... nothing is certain!"
The rate of change affecting work, the worker, management and the educational institutions that service all three has been accelerating - made worse by the unexpected Covid-19 pandemic. The economy, the consumer, supply chains and operational strategies have all been disrupted in the short-term, casting doubt on the long-term.
Rapid adaptation is the key to survivability, sustainability and growth. Sometimes an experienced outside advisor can help facilitate needed improvements to take the worry out of change and the fear out of growth. Frank J. Gibson Management and Workforce Excellence Advisor
- Business Development & Growth
- Workforce Development and Optimization
- Training and Cross-Training
- Local,/Regional Workforce Development Projects and Community Development
- Facilitated Problem Solving
- Process Improvement Cross-Functional Leadership Coaching and Mentoring
- Internship and Apprenticeship Projects
- Strategic Doing/Strategic Planning
Copyright © 2023 Frank J. Gibson
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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PTI Systems
International, Inc.™
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- Affiliated with Proactive Technologies, Inc. for projects outside the United States;
- Workforce development partner for employers, and education/ training providers who support employers, to ensure every worker can be trained to full job mastery;
- Experienced with governmental, IDB, GIZ and economic development agency sponsored projects;
- Experienced in assuring multinational employers expanding to the U.S. have the skilled workforce they need.
- PTI Systems International sets-up complete worker development and performance management systems, and provides technical implementation support;
- We provide strategies for our project's transition to local management.
- Speakers for seminars and conferences.
Don't complain about a "skills gap," deliberately develop every worker to full job mastery!
© 2015-23 PTI Systems International, Inc.™
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“The greatest waste … is failure to use the abilities of people…to learn about their frustrations and about the contributions that they are eager to make”
American engineer, statistician,
professor, author, lecturer, and
management consultant
1900 - 1993
“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”
American lawyer and statesman, 16th president of the United States
1809 – 1865
“When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done”
English economist, whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments
1883 - 1946
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U.S. Department of Commerce - Bureau of Economic Analysis |
U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, November 2022
The U.S. monthly international trade deficit decreased in November 2022 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit decreased from $77.8 billion in October (revised) to $61.5 billion in November, as imports decreased more than exports. The goods deficit increased $15.3 billion in November to $84.1 billion. The services surplus increased $1.0 billion in November to $22.5 billion. Read Report
U.S. International Transactions, Third Quarter 2022
The U.S. current-account deficit narrowed by $21.6 billion, or 9.1 percent, to $217.1 billion in the third quarter of 2022, according to statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The revised second-quarter deficit was $238.7 billion. The third-quarter deficit was 3.4 percent of current-dollar gross domestic product, down from 3.8 percent in the second quarter. Read Report
International Services (Expanded Detail), 2022
The services supplied through affiliates statistics in BEA’s annual International Services tables, which feature services supplied by multinational enterprises through the channel of direct investment, are now available with statistics through 2020. Read Report
New Foreign Direct Investment in the United States
The statistics on new foreign direct investment in the United States provide information on the acquisition, establishment, and expansion of U.S. business enterprises by foreign direct investors. Read Report
Direct Investment by Country and Industry 2021
The U.S. direct investment abroad position, or cumulative level of investment, increased $403.3 billion to $6.49 trillion at the end of 2021 from $6.09 trillion at the end of 2020, according to statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The increase reflected a $352.6 billion increase in the position in Europe, primarily in Ireland and the United Kingdom. By industry, holding company affiliates owned by U.S. manufacturers had the largest increase.
The foreign direct investment in the United States position increased $506.1 billion to $4.98 trillion at the end of 2021 from $4.47 trillion at the end of 2020. The increase mainly reflected a $378.4 billion increase in the position from Europe, primarily the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. By industry, affiliates in manufacturing and information accounted for the majority of the increase. Read Report
BEA Releases Prototype Trade in Value Added Statistics
These new prototype statistics can help answer questions such as: Read Release
BEA International Trade and Investment Country Facts
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U.S. Department of Commerce - Bureau of the Census |
Monthly Wholesale Trade
November 2022 sales of merchant wholesalers were $693.7 billion, down 0.6 percent (+/- 0.5 percent) from last month. End-of-month inventories were $933.1 billion, up 1.0 percent (+/- 0.4 percent) from last month. November 2022: +1.0 % Change in Inventories; October 2022 ®: +0.6 % Change in Inventories. Read Report
Manufacturing and Trade Inventory and Sales
U.S. total business end-of-month inventories for November 2022 were $2,476.5 billion, up 0.4 percent (+/- 0.1 percent) from last month. U.S. total business sales were $1,838.2 billion, down 0.8 percent (+/- 0.2 percent) from last month. November 2022: +0.4 % Change in Inventories; October 2022 ®: +0.2 % Change in Inventories. Read Report
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Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |
U.S. Data versus the World
Find, compare and share the latest OECD data: charts, maps, tables and related publications. Access Data
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International Trade in Services
Trade in services records the value of services exchanged between residents and non-residents of an economy, including services provided through foreign affiliates established abroad. This indicator is measured in million USD and percentage of GDP for exports, imports and net trade. Services include transport (both freight and passengers), travel, communications services (postal, telephone, satellite, etc.), construction services, insurance and financial services, computer and information services, royalties and license fees, other business services (merchanting, operational leasing, technical and professional services, etc.), cultural and recreational services, and government services not included in the list above. Trade in services drives the exchange of ideas, know-how and technology, although it is often restricted by barriers such as domestic regulations. All OECD countries compile their data according to the 2008 System of National Accounts (SNA). Access Data and Tables
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DMSI Rises to 66.5 as U.S. Manufacturers Increase Home Market Share |
Coalition for a Prosperous America
The CPA Domestic Market Share Index (DMSI) increased slightly to 66.5 in Q3 2022, an increase of 0.3 percentage points from the previous quarter. The DMSI measures the share that U.S. domestic producers hold of the U.S. market for manufactured goods. A DMSI of 66.5 means that foreign producers (imports) hold just over one third of the U.S. market for manufactured goods. The U.S. market for manufactured goods, worth over $7 trillion a year, is the world’s largest market.
The slight increase in Q3 comes after Q2 2022 matched a historic low of 66.2% for the DMSI. In Q3, durable goods increased by 0.4 percentage points to 58.1% while nondurable goods increased 0.4 points to 76.4%. Domestic shares continue to be affected by the supply chain disruptions which have impacted domestic production of goods including motor vehicles and imports from countries affected by Covid lockdowns, shipping delays, and other snafus.
Among sectors, furniture manufacturers grew domestic market share the most in Q3 by 4.6 percentage points to 60.2%. Also among manufacturing sectors with large gains were producers of wood products with an increase of 4 percentage points and chemical manufacturers with an increase of 2.1 percentage points. Read Article
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Trade Trend Estimates Latin America and the Caribbean – 2023 |
InterAmerican Development Bank – Paulo Giordano, Kathia Michalczewsky
According to the report, the value of goods exports from Latin America and the Caribbean increased at an estimated rate of 18.8% in 2022. During the year, the trend toward a slowdown in the region’s exports became stronger after growing by 27.8% in 2021.
This publication highlights that:
- The region’s external sales performance was mainly explained by higher export prices, while volumes lost momentum.
- Intraregional trade played a key role in Central and South America, while the United States drove trade performance in Mexico and the Caribbean.
- The change in trend toward an export slowdown has been consolidated.
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This report from the IDB´s Integration and Trade Sector and its Institute for the Integration of Latin America and the Caribbean (INTAL) concludes that the downward trend in commodity prices, the consequences of the war in Ukraine, restrictive monetary policies to reduce inflation, and the slowdown in global growth, will contribute to a further deceleration of the export expansion rate in the coming months. Download Report
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November Trade Deficit Falls 21% to $61.5 Billion, But $1 Trillion-Plus Deficit Record Beat |
Coalition for a Prosperous America – Kenneth Rapoza
The U.S. trade deficit fell 21% to $61.5 billion in November 2022, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) said on Thursday, showing for the first time some sluggishness in domestic demand. This is the latest data made available by the U.S. government.
November exports totaled $251.9 billion, which was $5.1 billion less than October exports. Meanwhile, November imports were $313.4 billion, $21.5 billion less than October numbers.
The November decrease in the goods and services deficit reflected a decrease in the goods deficit of $15.3 billion to $84.1 billion and the year-to-date goods and services deficit increased $120.1 billion, or 15.% over last year’s numbers. Exports and imports both are up slightly over 18% from last year, which was the peak of the COVID pandemic. Read Article
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2022 APEC Economic Policy Report |
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH – APEC
This year’s APEC Economic Policy Report discusses on the topic of Structural Reform and a Green Recovery from Economic Shocks. The main purpose of this report is to begin a discussion among APEC members about how structural reform policies, which aim at improving the conditions for growth, could also be an effective response to environmental threats and provide for the greening of our economies. It has been argued that there are tensions and trade-offs between growth and environmental sustainability. However, this report supports the contrasting view that structural reforms to promote sustainable outcomes can also promote higher rates of growth.
The APEC Economic Policy Report 2022 identifies pricing as an important component of green reforms, but it is insufficient to drive rapid and transformative change in the economy alone. In this sense, this report suggests a framework for the implementation of green structural reforms, which includes three types of measures: (1) market-based instruments, (2) regulations, and (3) complementary enabling instruments on innovation, investments and skills, among others. This combination of measures ensures a higher rate of success to achieve a green transformation. Download Report
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Supply Chain Snags or Full Speed Ahead? What Logistics Looks Like in 2023 |
IndustryWeek – Lauren Pittelli
Shipping expert Lauren Pittelli shares her advice to manufacturers for keeping those components coming in and finished goods moving.
Now that 2022 is in the rearview mirror, it’s time to consider the top global logistics trends that will impact manufacturing businesses in 2023. Here are the issues and trends that we have in our headlights.
Carrier Market Disruption
Rapid supply and demand changes during the pandemic reshuffled team rosters and altered every carrier playbook. The ocean carriers were flush with pandemic profits and invested in vertical integration. Two of the largest global carriers, Maersk Lines and CMA CGM, expanded into air cargo and contract logistics. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) purchased the African logistics division of Bollore. Read Article
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CPA Slams Ruling by USMCA Panel on Auto Content |
Coalition for a Prosperous America
USMCA Tribunal’s Final Ruling Will Benefit China Manufacturing
The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) today urged the Biden administration to reject, and refuse to honor, the final decision from the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Panel that weakens USMCA’s automotive rules of origin. The regional content rules were a major change from NAFTA intended to boost domestic manufacturing in the U.S. auto sector and reverse Asian dominance. The Office of the U.S.
Trade Representative rightly (USTR) criticized the “disappointing decision” and said it “could result in less North American content in automobiles, less investment across the region, and fewer jobs.”
Today’s decision by international bureaucrats on the USMCA Panel—at the direction of Canada and Mexico—changes the terms of USMCA and undermines the rules of origin. This will reduce the amount of regional auto parts content in North American cars by up to 33%, and directly benefit China and producers in other Asian nations. Read Release
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It’s Productivism, Not Protectionism – Global Rebalancing Will Lead to Global Prosperity |
Coalition for a Prosperous America – Jeff Ferry
European leaders and the media are up in arms over recent U.S. policy decisions to support the reshoring of American industry. The export ban on advanced U.S. semiconductor equipment, the tax credits for renewable energy equipment made in the U.S., and especially the support for American-made electric vehicles and batteries has upset them.
Criticism has come from European Union (EU) auto executives. French president Emmanuel Macron (above, right) called the Inflation Reduction Act a “killer for our [automotive] industry.” (Exactly how many Peugeots do you see on our streets, apart from when you are watching the 1970s Peter Falk TV series Columbo on classic cable?) Last week, The Economist magazine joined the fray, calling America “protectionist,” and raging that by deciding to extend subsidies for reshoring, the U.S. is “fracturing” the international trading system and leading to an allegedly dangerous situation in which “Free Trade is dead.” Perish the thought. It’s enough to make you reach for a bottle of cognac.
The irony is rich. The U.S., the alleged “protectionist” nation, is the world’s largest importer, with goods imports last year of $3.2 trillion. Read Article
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Duty-Free Steel Imports from Mexico Surge Beyond Agreed Upon Levels |
Coalition for a Prosperous America – Andrew Heritage
Key Points
Steel imports from Mexico have surged over the past several years. U.S. steel imports from Mexico have risen by 141% over historic levels, with some subcategories of imports tripling and quadrupling, despite a 2019 U.S.-Mexico agreement to maintain steel imports at past levels.
The surge in steel imports in Mexican steel conduit, used in construction, led to the closure last year of a Long Beach, California steel factory with the loss of 145 union jobs.
Excessive Mexican steel imports, in addition to the global oversupply of steel harms U.S. steel manufacturers by reducing revenue, investment and employment in the U.S. steel industry. The Biden administration should consult with the Mexican government per the 2019 agreement and if agreement cannot be reached, re-impose the Section 232 tariff of 25% on all Mexican steel imports. Read Article
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ASEAN-EU Trade Deal is Still a Distant Dream |
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH – The Diplomat, Luke Hunt
European Council President Charles Michel, right, speaks with Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, center, during the opening ceremony of the EU-ASEAN summit in Brussels.
Pushing ahead with a free trade agreement (FTA) between ASEAN and the European Union had topped the agenda at their recent “historic summit” in Brussels, but old chestnuts ensured that little more than back-slapping and platitudes prevailed.
As the veteran Indian diplomat Gurjit Singh politely noted, EU sanctions on Cambodia and Myanmar – over human rights abuses – would ensure that bilateral trade deals remain the priority and any EU-ASEAN FTA is still a dream. Read Article
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A Double Burden: The Effects of Food Price Increases and Currency Depreciations on Food Import Bills |
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH – The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
The price of food has increased everywhere, reaching historic levels in 2022, as stated by the United Nations Global Crisis Response Group.
This is a challenge for food security globally, but particularly for net food-importing developing countries. And unlike in previous food crises, they now face a double burden. They not only pay higher prices for the food they import, but the price increase is exacerbated by the depreciation of their currency vis-à-vis the US dollar. This erodes the fiscal space that many developing countries need to face the concomitant challenges of recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, and the climate emergency.
This report assesses the potential effect of high prices of wheat and concurrent currency devaluations on the import bills of selected developing countries. Download Report
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Americas Act Addresses Key Failure of Past Trade Deals |
Coalition for a Prosperous America – Charles Benoit
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) has released a discussion draft of a sweeping, ambitious bill titled the “Americas Act”. The bill states its aim to “establish a regional trade, investment, and people-to-people partnership of countries in the Western Hemisphere”. But unlike every other U.S. trade agreement in the last century, the Americas Act actually undertakes the necessary tariff reform to accomplish its aim. If implemented, it would succeed in driving industrialization and growth in the U.S. and throughout our hemisphere.
To understand why the Americas Act is special, one must understand the folly of the last 89 years.
Background
The U.S. has had three distinct periods relating to ‘free trade’ agreements (FTAs):
1789 – 1934, the successful era of tariffs for revenue and protection (2 FTAs): Read Article
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Education And Workforce Development News |
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The Perfect Organizational Structure? |
Community College Daily News – Martin Hoffman
Reporting structures vary widely among institutions and change over time. According to the annual ITC survey, distance learning reporting structures shifted from “technology” to “academics” ending up with 80% of respondents indicating that they report to an academic administrator (vice president of academic affairs, academic dean or library director) in 2020, up from only 49% in 2005. Interestingly, the survey lists library directors as academic, because libraries themselves underwent a shift in reporting structure between 1998 and 2004 with more, and then fewer, reporting to chief information officers (CIOs). There are even bifurcated distance education reporting structures where the academics (e.g. instructional designers) report to academics and the technologists (e.g. LMS administrators) report to technologists. Read Article
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Washington Watch: FY23 Community College Earmarks |
Community College Daily News – Alexis Gravely
Community colleges across the country will receive millions of dollars in additional designated funding from the federal government as a part of Congress’ fiscal year (FY) 2023 omnibus appropriations package passed late last month and just signed into law by President Joe Biden.
Nearly $183 million of community project funding — formerly known as earmarks — will go directly to community colleges. Among other things, they will be used to offer new and expanded program offerings, improve facilities and equipment, and support students on their path to completion. Read Article
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Could the ‘Comprehensive Learner Record’ Solve a Hiring Headache? |
HR Dive – Chris Gaetano
As HR professionals have long known, just because someone appears to be a good fit from their resume doesn’t mean they’re a good fit in practice.
That’s why hiring professionals have been eager for a more granular record of people’s skills and knowledge.
One possible candidate — and perhaps one of the newest — is the “comprehensive learner record” (CLR).
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Washington Watch: Prepare for Major ED Regulatory Changes |
Community College Daily News – David Baime
The U.S. Education Department (ED) has announced a series of forthcoming regulatory activities that will have a tremendous impact on community colleges and their students, and it is hard to overstate their potential reach.
Because Congress is extraordinarily unlikely to act in these areas, ED will have the final say over the regulations’ content.
ED announced its plans through its Fall Regulatory Agenda, which outlines the department’s forthcoming actions on final and proposed rules, as well as its intention to engage in “negotiated rulemaking” in several key areas.
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This 22-year-old is Trying to Save Us From ChatGPT Before it Changes Writing Forever |
NPR Planet Money – Greg Rosalsky and Emma Peaslee
While many Americans were nursing hangovers on New Year’s Day, 22-year-old Edward Tian was working feverishly on a new app to combat misuse of a powerful, new artificial intelligence tool called ChatGPT.
Given the buzz it’s created, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about ChatGPT. It’s an interactive chatbot powered by machine learning. The technology has basically devoured the entire Internet, reading the collective works of humanity and learning patterns in language that it can recreate. All you have to do is give it a prompt, and ChatGPT can do an endless array of things: write a story in a particular style, answer a question, explain a concept, compose an email — write a college essay — and it will spit out coherent, seemingly human-written text in seconds.
The technology is both awesome — and terrifying. Read Article
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Community College Daily News – Dennis Pierce
When Pima Community College in Arizona rolled out its first “Fast Track” programs in October 2021, allowing students to earn a stackable micro-credential that would lead to a high-paying job in as little as 12 weeks, Vice Chancellor of Workforce Development and Innovation Ian Roark wasn’t surprised that the programs generated a lot of interest from the community.
However, he wasn’t prepared for just how popular they would be.
This excerpt comes from the current issue of the Community College Journal, the bimonthly magazine of the American Association of Community Colleges.
“Within the first month, we had more than 1,000 people indicate interest,” Roark says. The college didn’t have the capacity to serve nearly that many students right away. Read Article
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ChatGPT Took an MBA Exam. Here's How it Did |
ZdNet - Liam Tung, Contributing Writer
A professor at Wharton, University of Pennsylvania has given a theoretical B-grade pass to ChatGPT after marking the answers it generated for a final exam in a typical MBA course.
Christian Terwiesch, a professor of operations management at Wharton, said ChatGPT does an "amazing job at basic operations management and process analysis questions."
"Not only are the answers correct, but the explanations are excellent," he writes in a new white paper. Read Article
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Training And Organizational Development News |
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Supporting Managers and Employees Are Goals for 2023 |
EHS Today – Staff
Smart companies will clarify manager priorities and redesign roles where necessary, due to upcoming challenges.
As we start 2023, the workplace is facing historic challenges which include a “competitive talent landscape, an exhausted workforce, and pressure to control costs”, according to research firm Gartner. To help employers navigate these challenges they identified nine work trends.
Here’s a look at a couple of trends that affect both managers and employees.
Squeezed by competing leader and employee expectations, managers need support
The demands of today’s working environment have left managers completely out of their depth. They feel pressure from above and below: they must implement a corporate strategy with regard to hybrid work while also providing a sense of purpose, flexibility and career opportunities. Read Article
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‘Quiet Hiring’ Will Dominate the U.S. in 2023, Says HR Expert—and You Need to Prepare For It |
Area Development – CNBC
A new year is here, and with it, a new workplace phenomenon that bosses and employees should prepare for: quiet hiring.
Quiet hiring is when an organization acquires new skills without actually hiring new full-time employees, says Emily Rose McRae, who has led Gartner’s future of work research team since its 2019 inception, focusing on HR practices.
Sometimes, it means hiring short-term contractors. Other times, it means encouraging current employees to temporarily move into new roles within the organization, McRae says. Read Article
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What Makes a Work Culture Toxic? |
IndustryWeek – Rick Bohan, Ron Jacques
A toxic environment is different than one that’s less-than-ideal.
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We’ve all heard the term “The Great Resignation.” It describes the recent sharp uptick in resignations as the COVID pandemic ended. In 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 47 million Americans voluntarily quit their jobs — an unprecedented mass exit from the workforce. Gas stations, dentist offices, and manufacturing plants alike have reduced their hours of operation because they can’t find new employees to replace those who have quit. The Great Resignation, we’re told, has upended the relationship between workers and the labor market. While there’s evidence that the Great Resignation might be slowing a bit, employees are still quitting at high rates.
Actually, the “Great Resignation” has been gaining steam for over a decade. Resignations during much of that time can probably be explained by the good economy that sustained during those years. But the recent sharp jump, greater than would be expected by any economic factors, has caught the attention of media outlets—which have published dozens of articles on the phenomenon—and employers, who are doing everything they can to fill open positions. Read Article
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Are You Listening, or Talking Through a Megaphone? |
IndustryWeek – Carl Livesay
Broadcasting vs. communicating: Only one of these messaging approaches builds trust.
Effective communication is critical in a manufacturing environment. Communication, good and bad, directly impacts the bottom line. It can be the difference between a successful year and a prosperous one.
Too often, leaders and managers broadcast instead of communicate, ignoring the impact of corporate policies and decisions on their own workforce.
One example of this disconnect is when leadership fails to convey excitement about new workers joining the company. The new workers, detecting the company’s hesitation to engage and include them, build resentment and apprehension. After not embracing the team member, the company is puzzled why they do not meet their expectations. Read Article
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Welcome to the Great Retraining |
Community College Daily News – Mathew Dembicki
The Great Resignation has led to the Great Retraining, especially in the technology workforce, according to a new report from the Cengage Group.
The global education technology company this fall re-surveyed Great Resigners — those who left their jobs during the Covid pandemic — to see how they are doing in their new jobs. More than four out of five of them have no regrets about quitting, and 85% are satisfied with their new jobs. Only 6% are considering going back to their previous job. Read Article
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U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh in Austria |
U.S. Department of Labor
Roundtable discussion at the Industriellenvereinigung
Last week, U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh visited Austria and learned more about apprenticeship best practices with a variety of government and industry leaders. This advanced the bilateral relationship based on the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed in April 2022 to strengthen U.S. and Austrian apprenticeship cooperation.
Here are a few highlights from Secretary Walsh’s two-day visit: Read Release
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Access Proactive Technologies' Recent "Proactive Technologies Workforce News" Article Quicklinks |
Located on the left panel below, this includes articles on structured worker development, achieving worker "full job mastery," engineering/quality/safety compliance, ISO/TS/AS quality program support and compliance, and many other contemporary worker development and management topics. |
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Recent Proactive Technologies News Article Quicklinks |
January
by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.
by Stacey Lett, Director of Operations - Eastern U.S. - Proactive Technologies, Inc.
by Stacey Lett, Director of Operations - Eastern U.S. - Proactive Technologies, Inc.
by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.
December
by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.
by Stacey Lett, Director of Operations - Eastern U.S. - Proactive Technologies, Inc.
by Dr. Dave Just, formally Dean of Corporate and Continuing Education at Community Colleges in MA, OH, PA, SC. Currently President of K&D Consulting
by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.
November
by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.
by Stacey Lett, Director of Operations - Eastern U.S. - Proactive Technologies, Inc.
by Frank Gibson, Workforce Development Advisor, retired from The Ohio State University – Alber Enterprise Center
by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.
October
by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.
by Stacey Lett, Director of Operations – Eastern U.S. – Proactive Technologies, Inc
by Dr. Dave Just, formally Dean of Corporate and Continuing Education at Community Colleges in MA, OH, PA, SC. Currently President of K&D Consulting
by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.
September
by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.
by Stacey Lett, Director of Operations - Eastern U.S. - Proactive Technologies, Inc.
By Randy Toscano, Jr., MSHRM, Executive Director of Human Resources, Paris Regional Medical Center
by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.
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Proactive Technologies, Inc. Partners With Educational Institutions, Workforce/Economic
Development Groups, Government Agencies
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Structured on-the-job training attracts and engages employers in workforce development partnerships...some projects sustainable for more than 18 years!
This creates a steady need for your related technical instruction, services and a pathway for employment.
These partnerships:
- enhance your institution's opportunity to market your products and services to incumbent workers;
- allow your organization to include structured on-the-job training as a capstone to preemployment preparation;
- document a trainee-to worker's increasing value to the employer - the key to retention - rather than leaving it to chance;
- properly aligns workforce development resources and maximizes the impact and results; allows you to engage an employer's facility, equipment and staff in the training process;
- provides the best, sustainable infrastructure for apprenticeships and internships that last!
- is a win for the trainee, win for the worker, win for the employer, win for the institution and win for the community!
This approach has continued to prove itself since 1988, and does not compete with your school's or agency's products and services; it adds to your efforts the clear, tangible, measurable advantage that employers seek.
Copyright © 2015 -2023 Proactive Technologies, Inc.™ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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Tri-Rivers Career Center - Adult Education provides lifelong, continuous learning for a diverse adult population. We utilize practical skills with an eye toward technological advancement.
We partner with state agencies and employers to provide targeted skill development to future and incumbent workers.
Our RAMTEC (Robotic and Advanced Manufacturing Technology Education Collaborative) facility - one of many throughout the state - offers advanced technical training in specialized areas such as robotics, robotic welding, and engineering technology.
Copyright © 2022 Tri-Rivers Career Center - Adult Education - RAMTEC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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PROACTIVE TECHNOLOGIES, INC. CLIENT SERVICES |
To supplement onsite PROTECH™ system of managed human resource development classes, these regularly scheduled webinars are available to the registered staff of clients:
- Structured On-The-Job Training Instructor Certification
- Structured On-The Job Training Checklist Administrator Certification
- Management Structured On-The-Job Training Project Support Briefing
- Integrating Support for Plant-Wide ISO/AS/IATF Quality and Safety Systems with PROTECH Workforce Development System
- Supporting "Pay-For-Value" Systems
- Promoting Continuous Process Improvement While Implementing the PROTECH System for the Accelerated Transfer of Expertise™
- PROTECH Onsite Lead Trainer and System Administrator Certification
Contact US t o attend one of these seminars and we will send you an e-reservation. Include your client ID, name and user ID number and which webinar you would like to attend.
Copyright © 2019-23 Proactive Technologies, Inc.™ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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Getting it Right – Selecting Measurement and Inspection Software |
Quality Magazine – Nick Merrell
This article can be helpful to anyone tasked with selecting software, however, it is written from the perspective of realizing effective measurement and inspection solutions for manufacturing enterprises.
Too often manufacturing companies either minimize the importance of measurement and inspection software or worse, they make purchase decisions based on hardware features that may or may not provide the results they need. It is only after they take delivery and use the equipment do they realize they have purchased software that is not up to the task, or the wrong type of CMM given their workflow and the results they require. Read Article
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The Lean Principle That Deserves More Respect |
IndustryWeek – David Rizzardo
On many continuous improvement journeys, leaders’ understanding of ‘Respect for People’ is superficial.
“Respect for people” is one of the most critical lean principles, and also one of the most misunderstood. If not practiced, developing a lean culture of continuous improvement is impossible.
Most everyone will nod in agreement and swear alignment with this principle. Few are going to argue against respecting each other. But our understanding is typically superficial and likely doesn’t change current behaviors. A deeper understanding is required.
One reason for our sketchy understanding of “respect for people” is its soft-skills connotation (even though it is essential for hard bottom-line results). Also, common definitions of respect don’t provide a direct connection to lean practices. For example, the definition “high admiration for someone” could apply to work, but how would it warrant a place in lean principles? Another use of respect, meaning “to avoid interfering”—such as respecting a person’s space—makes even less of a case. Neither of these everyday uses gets us close to the core of “respect for people.” Read Article
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Nondestructive Testing Using the Resonance Acoustic Method |
Quality Magazine – Gregory James Weaver
RAM is a volumetric approach and evaluates the whole part, both for internal and external structural flaws, metallurgical deviations, and consistency.
The Resonance Acoustic Method (RAM) is a long-standing nondestructive test (NDT) that measures the structural responses of a part. These responses are a set of unique and measurable natural frequency (resonance) data. This data is known as the fingerprint of the component, derived from a part’s unique material properties and geometry. RAM is an NDT technique that collects and measures all the structural characteristics of a part in a single and rapid test.
RAM is a volumetric approach and evaluates the whole part, both for internal and external structural flaws, metallurgical deviations, and consistency. Governed by ASTM E2001, the method is also known as resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS). The results are objective and quantitative and provide either: 1) test results of parts against a control set of known parts to screen for processing differences and/or defects, 2) measuring a population’s statistical variation and assessing individual part positions in relation to said variation, or 3) to verify a part’s actual natural frequencies to compare to or validate a 3D model or digital twin. Read Article
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Tesla Car Battery 'Spontaneously' Catches Fire on California Freeway, Requiring 6,000 Gallons of Water to Put it Out |
NBC News – Rob Wile
No injuries were reported. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously stated only 0.01% of Teslas have ever caught fire.
A Tesla car battery "spontaneously" burst into flames on a California freeway Saturday, and firefighters needed 6,000 gallons of water to put it out.
The Metro Fire Department said in a series of tweets that "nothing unusual" had occurred before the Tesla Model S became "engulfed in flames," but the agency said the car's battery cells "continued to combust" while the fire was being extinguished. Read Article
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How to Properly Perform CPR & Use an AED |
EightWest
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) – Many of us have heard about Buffalo Bill’s player Damar Hamlin collapsing on the field earlier this week. While we still don’t know the specific cause of the collapse, this is a time where we can all be more knowledgeable about the proper way to perform CPR and use an AED.
Brad is an instructor with the American Heart Association and a firefighter in Wyoming – he joins us today to show us how to perform these life-saving procedures. Read Article and See Video
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Front Line: The Growth of Indoor and Vertical Farming |
Area Development – Dan Emerson, Staff Editor
In an attempt to deal with the vagaries of weather and changing climate, farmers are turning to vertical and other high-tech indoor farms.
One is Morehead, Ky., where AppHarvest has opened a 2.76-million-square-foot high-tech greenhouse to grow non-GMO, chemical pesticide-free fruits and vegetables closer to consumers. AppHarvest has also broken ground on a second similarly sized, controlled-environment ag facility nearby in Richmond, Ky.
Meanwhile, in Luzerne County Pa., Upward Farms, a Brooklyn-based indoor aquaponics company, is building a 250,000-square-foot vertical farm facility, where crops are grown in vertically stacked layers. The county has also been chosen by Crop One for its third U.S. vertical farming operation, which will comprise 316,000 square feet. Read Article
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Uh, Earth’s Inner Core Just Stopped Spinning |
Popular Mechanics – Tim Newcomb
Yeah, the inner core spins separate from the rest of Earth
- Earth’s inner core’s spin has slowed and “paused.”
- Scientists believe this happens roughly every seven decades as the core will then start spinning a different direction.
- A new study says there’s a direct connection between the inner core’s spin and life on Earth’s surface.
Earth’s inner core stopped spinning. But don’t fret, it appears this happens from time to time, say every seven decades or so. Read Article
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Lots of Tatooine-like Planets Around Binary Stars May be Habitable |
Science News - James R. Riordon
Planets with twin suns, such as this hypothetical world in the Kepler-35 system (shown in an artist's impression), may make up the bulk of habitable worlds in the universe.
Luke Skywalker’s home planet in Star Wars is the stuff of science fiction. But Tatooine-like planets in orbit around pairs of stars might be our best bet in the search for habitable planets beyond our solar system.
Many stars in the universe come in pairs. And lots of those should have planets orbiting them (SN: 10/25/21). That means there could be many more planets orbiting around binaries than around solitary stars like ours. But until now, no one had a clear idea about whether those planets’ environments could be conducive to life. New computer simulations suggest that, in many cases, life could imitate art. Read Article
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Global Warming Reaches Central Greenland |
Science Daily - Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Summary:
A temperature reconstruction from ice cores of the past 1,000 years reveals that today's warming in central-north Greenland is surprisingly pronounced. The most recent decade surveyed in a study, the years 2001 to 2011, was the warmest in the past 1,000 years, and the region is now 1.5 °C warmer than during the 20th century, as researchers report. Using a set of ice cores unprecedented in length and quality, they reconstructed past temperatures in central-north Greenland and melting rates of the ice sheet. Read Article
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Rx for Prolonged Sitting: A Five-minute Stroll Every Half Hour |
Science Daily - Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Summary:
Mounting evidence suggests that prolonged sitting -- a staple of modern-day life -- is hazardous to your health, even if you exercise regularly. Based on these findings, doctors advise all adults to sit less and move more.
But how often do we need to get up from our chairs? And for how long?
Few studies have compared multiple options to come up with the answer most office workers want: What is the least amount of activity needed to counteract the health impact of a workday filled with sitting? Read Article
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Next Five Asteroid Approaches |
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
The Asteroid Watch dashboard tracks asteroids and comets that will make relatively close approaches to Earth. The dashboard displays the date of closest approach, approximate object diameter, relative size and distance from Earth for each encounter. The object's name is displayed by hovering over its encounter date. Clicking on the encounter date will display a Web page with details about that object.
The dashboard displays the next five Earth approaches to within 4.6 million miles (7.5 million kilometers or 19.5 times the distance to the moon); an object larger than about 150 meters that can approach the Earth to within this distance is termed a potentially hazardous object.
The average distance between Earth and the moon is about 239,000 miles (385,000 kilometers). Access Dashboard
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If Snow is Earth's 'Sunscreen,' What Happens When it's Gone? |
DeutscheWelle - Jeannette Cwienk
No snow means no winter sports. But a lack of the white stuff is also bad news for shipping, agriculture and power supply. A look into how snow protects mountains and helps curb climate change.
From Germany and France to the Czech Republic, many European ski resorts aren't exactly a winter wonderland this season. Instead, lonely slopes covered with artificial snow sporadically dot the green and brown landscapes.
As emissions caused largely by burning fossil fuels continue to change the climate, temperatures are simply too warm to sustain snow. Rain is falling instead of snow in many places.
The consequences reach far beyond winter sports, harming water supply and biodiversity. Read Article
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Cyber Security And IT News |
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Big Tech Giving European Consumers What They Deny Americans |
Brookings Institution - Tom Wheeler, Visiting Fellow – Governance Studies, Center for Technology Innovation
“Tech companies have built a perfect record so far in blocking major legislation in Congress,” The Wall Street Journal observed as the final effort to pass tech-related regulation failed in the closing days of the 117th Congress. However, the same companies that spend lavishly to oppose American consumer protection efforts are buckling under as European Union (EU) rules prepare to be phased in between now and 2024.
WHAT $100 MILLION BUYS
A key to Big Tech’s unblemished record, The Wall Street Journal reported, was “prodigious spending on Beltway lobbying and grassroots politicking.” Advertising to influence Congress not to pass tech-related legislation exceeded $100 million, the story continued. Read Article
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Facebook Fined $277M in Europe Over Data Scraping Probe |
New York Post – Reuters
The penalty resulted from an investigation into the discovery of a collated set of personal data that had been scraped from Facebook between May 2018 and September 2019, and made available online.
Ireland’s data privacy regulator imposed a $277 million fine on social media giant Facebook on Monday, bringing the total it has fined parent group Meta to about $1.04 billion.
The penalty resulted from an investigation, started last year into the discovery of a collated set of personal data that had been scraped from Facebook between May 2018 and September 2019, and made available online.
Facebook was also ordered to make a range of corrective measures. Read Article
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6 Security Experts on What Cyberthreats They Expect in 2023 |
Cybersecurity Dive – Naomi Eide, Matt Kapko, and David Jones
Organizations will keep a close eye on geopolitical tension and supply chain attacks. But at the core, the biggest threats are built on mistakes.
Consider cyberthreats variations on a theme — the new and novel are rare.
Instead, at their core, many of the top cyberthreats organizations encounter stem from human error and mistakes. That’s why experts are quick to call out the perils of phishing and spear phishing attacks. Read Article
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Rackspace Identifies Ransomware Threat Actor Behind December Attack Via Exchange |
Cybersecurity Dive – David Jones, Reporter
CrowdStrike previously connected Play, the threat actor, to a new Outlook Web Access exploit method used in multiple attacks.
Rackspace Technology has confirmed the threat actor known as Play was behind the ransomware attack that disrupted email access for its Hosted Exchange customers in early December.
The threat actor was identified following a forensic investigation led by CrowdStrike, the FBI and other experts, Rackspace told Cybersecurity Dive Monday. Read Article
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Ransomware Attack Exposes California Transit Giant’s Sensitive Data |
Cybersecurity Dive - Matt Kapko, Reporter
Vice Society, a prolific ransomware group, leaked data it claims to have stolen from San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit.
A ransomware attack against San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit exposed highly sensitive and personal data after a threat group leaked the records Friday. The nation’s fifth-largest transit system by ridership, and largest in California, remains operational.
The allegedly stolen data, according to screenshots provided to Cybersecurity Dive, includes a long list of files titled “master employee list,” “background disposition” reports, crime lab reports, police reports, a “suspected child abuse report,” a controlled substances examination report for heroin and other highly sensitive and personal data. Read Article
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Guardian Confirms it Was Hit by Ransomware Attack |
The Guardian - Dan Milmo, Global Technology Editor
Media firm says personal data of UK staff members was accessed in ‘highly sophisticated’ cyber-attack last month.
The Guardian has confirmed it was hit by a ransomware attack in December and that the personal data of UK staff members has been accessed in the incident.
The Guardian Media Group’s chief executive, Anna Bateson, and the Guardian’s editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner, confirmed the news in an update emailed to staff on Wednesday afternoon. Read Article
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Have a Spy on Your Phone? Take Steps Now! |
USA Today - Kim Komando
If your phone is infected with spyware or other malware watching what you do, your best bet is a full factory reset.
I read every single note from people like you who need a hand with something digital. Many people ask how to remove their information on creepy people search sites. Tap or click here for a list of sites where you should delete details like your home or cell phone number, email address, and physical address.
What about all the info that pops up when you Google yourself? Google will remove some for you, but there are other methods for info you want to hide. Tap or click for a guide to take back your privacy. Read Article
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T-Mobile Breached Again, 37M Customer Accounts Exposed |
CybersecurityDive - Matt Kapko, Reporter
This incident marks the latest in a series of data breaches, the worst of which occurred in August 2021 and exposed the personal data of at least 76.6 million people.
T-Mobile on Thursday said a threat actor accessed personal data on about 37 million current customers in an intrusion that went undetected since late November.
The wireless network operator identified the malicious activity on Jan. 5 and during a subsequent investigation determined the unauthorized access began on or around Nov. 25, the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
T-Mobile said it was able to trace the source of the malicious activity to an application programming interface and stop it with the help of cybersecurity consultants. Read Article
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Threat Actors Lure Phishing Victims with Phony Salary Bumps, Bonuses |
CybersecurityDive - Matt Kapko, Reporter
Multiple campaigns underscore threat actors’ ability to shift tactics and target employees by exploiting current events and themes.
Multiple threat research firms have uncovered a spate of phishing campaigns targeting professionals with details about salary increases, benefits changes and updated employee handbooks.
Proofpoint, as early as Jan. 10 and as recent as Wednesday, said it observed emails containing phishing links purportedly from HR.
Email subject lines and messages contained information about pay raises, missing timesheets, password resets, above-limit expense claim figures and corporate cybersecurity training, according to Proofpoint’s threat research team. Read Article
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FBI Warns QR Code Scams on the Rise as Criminals Create Fake Codes to Steal Your Info |
ABC News Chicago WLS - Jason Knowles and Ann Pistone
The FBI has a QR code warning: QR code scams are on the rise as con artists try to get your banking information or hold your smartphone hostage.
The ABC7 I-Team has an alert about QR code cons: fake codes being created to rip you off.
QR codes are everywhere. You can quickly scan them with your phone to read a restaurant menu, get a new app, or go to a website. But there are QR con artists using the new tech to get your banking information or hold your smartphone hostage.
"They can get into every account you have if they have enough time," FBI Special Agent Siobhan Johnson told the I-Team. Read Article
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Human Resource Management News |
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How to Attract Skilled Medical Device Manufacturing Workers in 2023 |
Area Development – Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry, Louis Columbus
Despite economic uncertainty in some industries, the medical device sector is expected to continue growing at a healthy pace in 2023 and beyond, bringing with it a commensurate need for additional skilled workers. In the United States alone, Statista predicts medical device manufacturing revenue will achieve a five-year 5.14% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), leading to a market value of $199.1 billion by 2027. Meanwhile, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that employment in the medical device manufacturing industry will continue to grow at a 5% rate through 2030 — faster than the average growth rate for all occupations the bureau tracks. Read Article
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FTC Seeks to Ban Noncompete Clauses |
CFO.com – Vincent Ryan
The FTC called noncompetes “an exploitative practice” negatively impacting wages, innovation, and new business creation.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is wading into the area of employment agreements as part of its aggressive posture on fighting unfair methods of business competition.
On Thursday, the commission voted to propose a rule that would ban employers from imposing noncompete agreements on their workers. In the press release, the FTC called noncompetes “a widespread and often exploitative practice that suppresses wages, hampers innovation, and blocks entrepreneurs from starting new businesses.” Read Article
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Social Media Can Funnel Candidates into the Hiring Process — But Not Replace It |
CFO Dive – Jen A. Miller
Employers can use social media to tell prospective candidates a story, sources said, but HR must beware of potential pitfalls.
Despite turmoil at Twitter, social media isn’t going away anytime soon. Platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook can be powerful ways for HR professionals to recruit new talent and find candidates they wouldn’t have reached otherwise.
Using social media for recruitment is “a constant strategy around marketing the organization and what we stand for, not just the business value but the social and cultural impact that we have,” said Steven Kramer, CEO at Workjam, a digital front-line workforce platform. Read Article
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CEOs are Deglobalizing Their Businesses. What Does This Mean for HR? |
HR Dive – Laurel Kalser, Contributor
Dive Brief:
- Although leading CEOs and investors have diverging views about the economic climate (73% of CEOs expect it to worsen during the first half of 2023; 76% of investors expect it to improve), they’re aligned about one effect: 86% of CEOs and investors believe deglobalization is a reality, according to a survey released Dec. 20 by global advisory consulting firm Teneo.
- CEOs are already taking steps to prepare for deglobalization, including adjusting supply chains (46%); looking at M&As (38%); relocating physical operations (38%); and on-shoring their workforce (32%), the survey found. Investors agree with these strategies, but they’re “hyper-focused” on finding new sources of funding, Teneo said.
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Even in the face of a looming recession, 15% of CEOs are prioritizing investment in environmental, social and governance-related activities (ESG) over business performance, according to the survey. However, while more than 60% of CEOs are working to balance company performance and ESG commitments, nearly 1 in 5 of those who run large companies said they feel unprepared to handle the next controversial social issue, according to the survey. Read Article
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Regulatory Update: New Law Ends Sexual Harassment NDAs |
EHS Today - David Sparkman
Employers with these contract terms should take steps to end them.
Last December, President Biden signed into law the Speak Out Act (SOA), which prohibits employers from using nondisclosure agreements (NDA) and those addressing nondisparagement to block the victims of sexual harassment and assault from making their stories public—and all employers need to pay attention to its impact..
“I just signed the Speak Out Act, a bill that’ll enable survivors to speak out about workplace sexual assault and harassment and increase access to justice,” Biden declared on Twitter.
“Nondisparagement clauses” in sexual assault or harassment disputes consist of any contractual provision that requires any party not to make a negative statement about another party that relates to the contract, agreement, claim, or case. It is not unusual for employers to regularly include both of these clauses in employment agreements. Employers should remain aware that some state or local laws may restrict such provisions, such as those that have been enacted in California, New Jersey and Washington. Read Article
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How Many Workers Feel Undervalued? Almost Half, Workhuman Suggests |
HR Dive - Caroline Colvin, Reporter
Dive Brief:
- One in 2 employees only feel “somewhat valued” and 1 in 10 don’t feel “valued at all,” according to a January 2023 report by Workhuman. In its monthly Human Workplace Index, 46.4% reported the former and 10.7% reported the latter.
- Notably, 48.8% of women surveyed said they feel undervalued.
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Additionally, at a rate of 49.3%, workers of color were more likely to tell Workhuman they felt undervalued compared to the average. Read Article
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Small and Midsize Business CEOs Find it Easier to Hire But Struggle to Operate at Full Capacity |
HR Dive - Laurel Kalse, Contributor
Dive Brief:
- The confidence of small and midsize business (SMB) CEOs is trending up, boosted by business leaders’ expectations for hiring and profits, according to the latest CEO Confidence Index from CEO coaching and peer advisory firm Vistage. In Q4, confidence levels reached 75.3, a slight bump from 73.4 in Q3 and 69 in Q2, but is still below the level of Q4 2021, the index found, due to recession concerns.
- Nearly two-thirds (60%) of SMB CEOs plan to increase hiring in the next year, up from 52% in Q3 and Q2, according to the index, released Jan. 5. Also, for the first time since the start of 2022, the proportion (28%) of SMB CEOs who say it’s easier to hire is greater than those who say it’s not (20%). But there are concerns: The percentage of SMB CEOs who plan to increase hiring is still lower than last year, a Vistage press release noted. And 61% of CEOs say hiring challenges are affecting their ability to operate at full capacity, a recognition that “regardless of how the economy vacillates the availability of workers will remain tight,” Joe Galvin, Vistage’s chief research officer observed in a related post.
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Of the CEOs who have trouble hiring, 84% are increasing wages and compensation; 72% are developing the existing workforce; 68% offer flexible hours and schedules; and 61% are providing leadership development programs, according to the index. “As economic uncertainty persists, business leaders are shifting their focus to areas they have more control over, such as hiring and retention,” Galvin stated in the release. “In the new year, we can expect hiring to remain a priority,” he said. Read Article
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Environmental, Health & Safety News |
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Pandemic Took Heavy Toll on Productivity |
EHS Today - Staff
IBI’s analysis estimates that the cost associated with the loss of work hours is $213.1 billion for 2020 and 2021.
While debate still continues about the productivity level of employees during the pandemic, when looking strictly at the lost number of hours during this time, the picture becomes more clear.
The Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI), a non-profit research and educational organization focused on workforce health and productivity, analyzed data from the US Current Population Survey to estimate the number of lost hours attributed to the pandemic, and the cost associated with the loss of work hours.
The cost associated with the loss of work hours is $213.1 billion ($167.4 billion in the first year and $45.7 billion in the second year). Read Article
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The Perfect Time to 'Step Up' Employee Training |
EHS Today - Staff
American Ladder Institute aims to decrease the number of ladder-related injuries and fatalities, and increase the number of ladder safety training certificates issued.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ladder deaths accounted for 161 on-the-job fatalities in 2020, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Read Article
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Amazon Cited by OSHA for Failing to Keep Warehouse Workers Safe |
HR Dive - Max Garland, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
- A Department of Labor agency cited Amazon for failing to provide a safe workplace in its warehouse facilities, adding to the penalties the company already faces in an ongoing investigation, according to a news release Wednesday.
- Investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found Amazon warehouse workers to be at high risk for lower back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders. This is due to the frequency workers are required to lift packages and other items, long hours required to complete tasks and other issues, per the release.
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Amazon faces a total of $60,269 in proposed penalties tied to the violations. The company “strongly” disagrees with the allegations and intends to appeal, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement. Read Article
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Having trouble finding, selecting, training and keeping the skilled workers you need? Are your employee turnover costs a concern?
Let's start with what we already know:
- Classes alone will not train workers to perform your tasks...
- Quality Control policies and Process Documents are not a substitute for task training...
- Putting 2 people together and hoping for the best is not a training strategy...
- Wishing and hoping won't develop the skilled workers you need...
The cost of one worker malperformance or one worker's under-capacity or under-performance - due to lack of proper training - can more than justify the investment to train all your workers properly!
AND, unstructured, uncontrolled, undocumented task training is going on all day, every day. But if you cannot explain the process, you surely cannot measure and improve it.
Proactive Technologies's approach to structured on-the-job training takes place where, and while, the work is performed. You need no additional staff and structured on-the-job training does not interrupt your work schedule like unstructured, haphazard and ad hoc training or classroom learning does.
You probably have most of the pieces are already in place; they just need structure around them to make the training experience work for everyone through the accelerated transfer of expertise™.
As part of every project, Proactive Technologies provides the support to set-up, implement, manage, document and revise the worker development system so you can stay focused on business.
Copyright © 2019-23 Proactive Technologies, Inc.™ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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EMPLOYERS!
If your organization sees training as a cost, not as an investment, maybe you should consider another approach!
- Cuts the employer's internal costs of training;
- Lowers the costs associated with turnover;
- Drives new-hires and incumbent workers to "full job mastery;"
- Increases worker capacity, work quality, productivity and compliance (ISO/AS/IATF training and records requirement, engineering specifications and safety mandates);
- Creates framework for cross-training, retraining and worker certification;
- Establishes the framework for employer specific/job-specific apprenticeships and internships - registered or not;
- Builds career development tracks and succession plans for hourly (and salary) workers;
- Ensures the increased and maintained "Return on Worker investment" through any type of change...
ALL OF THIS FROM ONE APPROACH!
This structured on-the-job training is performed where, and while, the work takes place!
You need no additional staff, and this will not disrupt your work schedule or burden your existing staff!
If your firm is partnered with local career and technical educational institutions, use of shared employer's equipment, facilities and paid wages of trainer(s) and trainee(s) are attractive match for potential grant assistance.
for more information.
Copyright © 2019-23 Proactive Technologies, Inc.™
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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Copyright © 1988 - 2023 Proactive Technologies, Inc.TM
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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