Developing a modern wood products workforce.The forest products industry represents a great opportunity for careers that blend science, technology, and engineering to utilize our natural resources for a better world. The framework for developing these careers is a "Technologically Advanced Workforce" (TAW taw 1 tr.v. tawed, taw·ing, taws To convert (skin) into white leather by mineral tanning, as with alum and salt. ). The rationale for such a workforce has been articulated in the August 2004 Solutions! article, "Technology Summit II Launches National Training Network." The Agenda 2020 TAW Task Group has a scope that includes both the pulp and paper and the wood products sectors of the forest products industry. This article reports on the Wood Products TAW segment discussed at Technology Summit II. The wood products and allied industries are large and diverse. Together, they comprise: * ~1 million total employees * Value of shipments over US$ 100 Billion * 15 major sectors and 30-45 sub sectors * 20 major associations; 300 total associations * Operating plant sizes: 5-500 employees The wood products segment of the forest products industry faces historic challenges in developing a Technologically Advanced Workforce. These include: * Small companies, with mixed commitment to developing a technologically advanced workforce. * Lack of knowledge of K-12 teachers about wood products. * Lack of a national program or network. The original Technology Summit, held in 2001, suggested pathways to the development of a Technologically Advanced Workforce. These included: (1) Recruiting Strategies, (2) Operator Preparation, and (3) Continuing Education continuing education: see adult education. continuing education or adult education Any form of learning provided for adults. In the U.S. the University of Wisconsin was the first academic institution to offer such programs (1904). of Operators and Professionals. Recruiting Strategies: Areas requiring a cohesive national level recruiting strategy include (1) high school into industry; (2) high school into community college wood products programs; and (3) high school into university wood products programs. Operator Preparation: Conducted by corporations, community colleges, and associations: Continuing Education: CE programs are more common for professionals, and less for common for operators. Corporations, associations, community colleges, and universities provide CE programs. WOODLINKS NATIONAL MODEL The participants at Summit II identified some organizations that would play major roles in providing a Technologically Advanced Workforce. One program that has emerged as a national model to address both the recruiting and operator preparation pathways is WoodLINKS USA. WoodLINKS has successfully deployed with 50 high school programs in place (see Table 1), with industry providing support, along with universities. (North Carolina State University History
WOOD PRODUCTS EDUCATION PROVIDERS U.S. wood products education providers include the following institutions: Universities Wood Products degree programs, research and education center programs, and courses exist at the following colleges and universities: Auburn University Auburn University, main campus at Auburn, Ala.; land-grant and state supported; opened 1859 as East Alabama Male College, reorganized 1872 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama; became coeducational 1892; renamed Alabama Polytechnic Institute 1899, North Carolina State University* University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). Oregon State University Oregon State University, at Corvallis; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1858 as Corvallis College, opened 1865. In 1868 it was designated Oregon's land-grant agricultural college and was taken over completely by the state in 1885. * University of Idaho The university was formed by the territorial legislature of Idaho on January 30, 1889, and opened its doors on October 3, 1892 with an initial class of 40 students. The first graduating class in 1896 contained two men and two women. * Penn State University* Louisiana Tech Purdue University University of Maine "UMO" redirects here, but this abbreviation is also used informally to mean the Mozilla Add-ons website, formerly Mozilla Update Should not be confused with Université du Maine, in Le Mans, France The University of Maine * University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (UT), sometimes called the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UT Knoxville or UTK), is the flagship institution of the statewide land-grant University of Tennessee public university system in the American state of Tennessee. Michigan State Texas A & M University of Minnesota (body, education) University of Minnesota - The home of Gopher. http://umn.edu/. Address: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. * Virginia Tech* Mississippi State* Washington State SUNY SUNY - State University of New York ESF (1) (Extended SuperFrame) An enhanced T1 format that allows a line to be monitored during normal operation. It uses 24 frames grouped together (instead of the 12-frame D4 superframe) and provides room for CRC bits and other diagnostic commands. West Virginia University West Virginia University, mainly at Morgantown; coeducational; land-grant and state supported; est. and opened 1867 as an agricultural college, renamed 1868. * Universities with an asterisk are accredited accredited recognition by an appropriate authority that the performance of a particular institution has satisfied a prestated set of criteria. accredited herds cattle herds which have achieved a low level of reactors to, e.g. by the Society for Wood Science and Technology. Some are stand alone departments. Others are housed in forestry or engineering departments. Most offer continuing education short courses. The University of Minnesota and North Carolina State University offer distance based Masters Degrees. Community Colleges Wood products programs exist at the following community colleges: * Bates Technical College  This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling.You can assist by [ editing it] now. , Washington * Madison Area Technical College “MATC” redirects here. For other uses, see MATC. Madison Area Technical College is the technical and community college for the Madison, Wisconsin area. It is among the largest of the 16 schools in the Wisconsin Technical College System, educating about 44,000 people , Wisconsin * Catawba Community College, North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. * Mount Wachusett Community College Mount Wachusett Community College is a two-year community college in Gardner, Massachusetts. It offers associate degrees as well as a transfer program for students to earn credits for transfer to other colleges. , Massachusetts * Cerritos College, California * Northwest Shoals Community College Northwest Shoals Community College is a two-year public institution of higher education with two campuses. One campus is located in Phil Campbell, Alabama and the second campus is located in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. , Alabama * College of the Redwoods
College of the Redwoods , California * Palomar College, California * Des Moines Area Community College The Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) is a community college in Iowa that offers classes in Ankeny, Boone, Carroll, Des Moines (the Urban Campus), Newton, and West Des Moines (the West Campus). DMACC also offers a wide variety of on-line classes. , lowa * Pennsylvania College of Technology Pennsylvania College of Technology, or Penn College, is a small university located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Affiliated with The Pennsylvania State University, the school offers more than 100 certificate, associate and baccalaureate degree programs in fields like , Pennsylvania * Fox Valley Technical College Fox Valley Technical College (also Fox Valley Tech and FVTC) is the technical (community) college for the Appleton, Wisconsin area. It is a member of the 16 schools in the Wisconsin Technical College System. , Wisconsin * Rockingham Community College Rockingham Community College is a public community college located in Wentworth, North Carolina. It is part of the North Carolina Community College System. External links
* Fullerton College, California * Saddleback College, California * Hazard Community & Technical College, Kentucky * Seattle Central Community College Seattle Central Community College (SCCC) is a community college located in Seattle, Washington, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. It is one of the three colleges which make up the Seattle Community College District. , Washington * Triton Community College, Illinois Corporations--A Benchmark The Stiles Stiles can refer to: People
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 197,800. is state of the art in equipment technology. Industry Associations & Trade Groups Technology Summit II was the first time any wood products group of educators and industry representatives attempted a broad analysis of the 15 main sectors in solid wood. The wood products industry is large and diverse (see Table 2). The pulp and paper industry The global pulp and paper industry is dominated by North American (United States, Canada), northern European (Finland, Sweden) and East Asian countries (such as Japan). Australasia and Latin America also have significant pulp and paper industries. is organized around 30 associations. By comparison, the Wood Industry Council reports around 300 wood products associations and trade groups. A common training mission among these associations is lacking. Educational & Research Organizations and Societies In addition, there are educational and research organizations, associations, and societies that offer professional and/or operator CE programs and short courses, including the following: The Forest Products Society is an international technical association founded in 1947 to provide an information network for all segments of the forest products industry--from standing tree to finished product. The American Wood Council constitutes an invaluable information resource on wood construction for engineers, architects, builders, and building code regulators, including engineering data, state-of-the art design technologies, and construction standards. USDA USDA, n.pr See United States Department of Agriculture. Forest Products Laboratory serves the public as the nation's leading wood research institute. FPL dedicates itself to solving societal problems related to the forest and its products by using the best scientific resources available. Society of Wood Science and Technology is an educational society whose primary purpose is to foster educational programs in wood science and technology, assure high standards for professional performance of wood scientists and technologists, and promote the wise use of wood-based products. POTENTIAL IMPACT IS LARGE The potential impact of all of these programs on the competitiveness of the U.S. Wood Products Industry is strategic. The investment risks are low. The challenge is to unite an extremely diverse group of providers and industry end users into a cooperative network with an exciting message: that the forest products Industry is a great opportunity for a career that blends science, technology and engineering to utilize our natural resources for a better world. The Wood Products TAW Technology Summit II session members included: * Duane Griffiths, Stiles Education * Mike Kocurek, NC State University * Joe McNeel, West Virginia University * Buddy Showalter, AF & PA * Wilf Torunski, WoodLINKS * Paul Winistorfer, Virginia Tech
Arizona California Illinois Michigan
Bisbee Chino Hills-Ayala Hume Allen Park
Camp Verde Glendale Martinsville Battle Creek
Cottonwood* San Bernardino High Norridge* Dakota HS*
Mesa Dobson San Gorgonio High Grand Rapids
Mesa High Sierra-Tollhouse Holland
Mountain View Plainwell
San Manuel Trenton
Wilcox*
New England North Carolina Ohio Oregon
Chelmsford, MA Hillsborough Maplewood Portland
Gardner, MA West Bladen* Olentangy* David Douglas
Leominster, MA* Ravenna Franklin
Derry, NH*
Texas Washington West Virginia
Houston Monroe* Pocahontas Woods
Inc.
Wisconsin
Antigo Ashland* Bayfield* Kaukauma*
Drummond* Hartford Ladysmith Laona
Mellen Merrill* Milwaukee Monona
Neenah Oshkosh Sheboygan Falls Shell Lake
Somerset Superior* Weyerhaeuser*
Further Interest areas
Montana, Alaska, Utah, Maryland-not tallied below
Total Active: Total in Planning* Grand Total
39 16 55
Table 1: WoodLINKS USA High Schools. * indicates program in planning.
Operator Professional Representative
Major Sectors Training Programs Association
Primary
Lumber (HWD, SOFTWD) Yes Yes Many
Panels (OSB, MDF, PB, Veneer) No Yes Many
Engineered Wood Products Yes Yes Many
Secondary
Furniture
Residential Yes Yes AFMA
Business -- Yes BIFMA
Commercial -- --
Fixtures and Fittings No Yes NASFM
Cabinets No No KCMA
Custom
Production
Windows and Doors No -- WDMA
Flooring In House -- Many
Wood
Laminated
Dimensional Mills No -- WCMA
Surfacing -- -- --
Trusses Yes -- WTCA
Manufactured Housing -- --
Pallets No Yes NWPCA
Architectural Wood Yes Yes AWI
Equipment and Vendors Yes Yes WMMA
Table 2: Overview of Wood Products Association Training Programs.
WHAT IS WOODLINKS? WoodLINKS USA is a modern wood manufacturing education program developed by the wood products industry that is being introduced in high schools throughout the United States. It encourages a cooperative partnership between industry, schools, teachers, and students. The long-term intent of the program is to provide our wood products industry with the necessary workforce skills to remain competitive. WoodLINKS is the broadest deployment strategy in the Wood Products TAW effort, with 55 existing and planned partner schools. Proven savings for companies in first year is 150% of investment. What WoodLINKS USA does * Assists in establishing a modern high school wood-manufacturing program in senior high schools. * Helps to promote the message that the wood products industry is a wise career choice. * Trains teachers * Brings together educators and students with supporting companies and associations that provide financial and material support. * Offers a national industry-credentialing curriculum that is the first step towards the development of a National Skill Standard. Alliance Architecture & Players (2004) * WoodLINKS USA * 50 high schools in 13 states (See Table 1) * United States Department of Agriculture United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), n.pr established in 1862, USDA is responsible for the safety of meat, poultry, and egg products. It conducts ongoing research in areas from human nutrition to new crop technologies and also helps ensure open * 300 industry partners * 6 trade associations, representing 2000 member corporations * Universities, including NC State, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia University. RELATED ARTICLE WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: * The providers that address the three Technologically Advanced Workforce "pathways" of Recruiting, Operation Preparation, and Continuing Education. * Why the national program WoodLINKS USA was created and what it does. * The deployment status of WoodLINKS. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES * "Technology Summit II Launches National Training Network," by Harry Cullinan, Solutions!, August 2004. To access this article, go to www.tappi.org and type the following Product Code into the search field: 04AUGSO38. * Initial results from Technology Summit II: www.tappi.org/redirects/techsummit.asp. * WoodLINKS USA Web site: www.woodlinks.com, email address: woodlinksusa@citlink.net. MICHAEL J. KOCUREK, NC STATE UNIVERSITY ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michael J. Kocurek is Professor and Head of the Department Of Wood and Paper Science at North Carolina State University, and vice president of the Pulp & Paper Education and Research Alliance. Contact him by email at: Mike_Kocurek@ncsu.edu. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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