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April 1994

State Roundups
Upper Peninsula

Network links U.P. manufacturers

Furniture manufacturers in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) have formed an industrial network that pools resources to compete nationally and boost the area economy.

By coordinating production efforts, the 10-member network hopes to improve efficiency and lower costs. In addition, development programs aimed at marketing, manufacturing and technology bring the former competitors together and promote the exchange of ideas.

The network is sponsored by the Manufacturing Services Unit of Northern Economic Initiatives Corp. (NEICorp), Marquette, a non-profit enterprise that works to improve the competitive position of the U.P. economy. NEICorp coordinates quarterly meetings at which the network board, comprised of all member firms, administers program funds and oversees the development of service programs. Participating companies have devoted about $500,000 to network activities.

Gene Davenport, vice president of Lloyd-Flanders Industries, a wicker furniture maker and network member, stresses the benefits of constructive criticism that arises from network communications. "Outside individuals look at operations from a new viewpoint and may make suggestions for improvement that we may not have seen."

Inter-company teamwork has resulted in large cost reductions in employee training, says Christine Rector, NEIC senior program director. For example, firms that once scheduled their own training programs now pay up to 10 times less for training shared through the network, Rector says.

"NEICorp pushes for opportunities to collectively market or manufacture products," says Rector. Lloyd- Flanders, for example, contracts prototype work to Orion Design and Development, a small manufacturer that is also a network member.

The network complements the U.P.'s emerging manufacturing sector. "For years [the economy] was very dependent on the mining industry, but it can't depend on that anymore. [Manufacturing] is not affected as much by the boom and bust cycles."

Cooperation has extended beyond the formal network. Recognizing the efficiency in working together, other U.P. companies have initiated joint shipping to alleviate freight charges.

Networks for other manufacturing industries are in the recruitment stage. NEICorp recently invited 20 machinery manufacturing and metal fabricating companies to attend an informational session with current members to learn how networks function.

—Jason Zimmerman

U.P. program lays foundation for
women/minorities in trades

In Marquette, the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) Women and Minorities Institute trains women and minorities in a pre-apprenticeship program for the skilled trades that is the first of its kind in Michigan.

The initial eight-week training was held in fall 1993 to encourage women and minorities to choose careers in the trades. The institute is overseen by the Women's Center in Marquette.

"There is no reason why women can't do any of the 800 apprenticeable trades," says Suzanne Kensington, executive director of the Women's Center, a 20-year-old nonprofit agency offering counseling and support services to women. For now, the institute is gearing the pre-apprenticeship training to the building trades, of which there is a high ratio in the U.P., according to Kensington.

Federal statutes mandate that 7 percent of workers in construction trades funded with federal money be women and minorities. The national level is currently 1.3 percent. Further, states that receive federal funds for job training must develop more training in non-traditional fields for women.

Trade representatives were eager to work closely with the institute to set up the training, says Kensington, in part because they will get well-qualified applicants for their effort.

The pre-apprenticeship training begins with a one-day orientation to acquaint prospective students with the demands, expectations and prospects for jobs in the trades. Of the 30 that attended the first orientation, 10 applicants were selected to attend the intensive eight-week course. A variety of day-long classes were held, ranging from math to body building. Nine graduated—"and tested high," says Kensington—then went on to apply for apprenticeships.

Placement in apprenticeships is expected to be high. Apprenticeships, the direct line to certified journeyman status in most trades, last from two to four years, depending on the trade. During a graduate's apprenticeship, the Women's Center provides support services.

The institute hopes to offer pre-apprenticeship training for more trades as the program matures. The institute does not promise jobs in the U.P.; rather, it considers the training a workboot in the door to the trades nationwide. While the first session was considered a success, funding for subsequent sessions is not yet available.

The institute is a collaboration of the Michigan Women's Foundation, the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau and the Women's Center in Marquette. It receives assistance from the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training and the Northern Michigan University Labor Education Department as well.

—Nettie Pignatello