Talent shortage struggles?

By Edward P. Salek, CAE, Executive Director | TLT Headquarters Report February 2023

STLE can help make this professional challenge an opportunity.
 
Attracting younger talent to the lubricants and tribology field remains one of the top two problems for the industry, according to a survey of STLE members conducted late last year.

The talent shortage is compounded by a lack of awareness of the field and by competition for technical expertise from digital and software companies, according to survey participants.

STLE members’ situation is part of a broader trend in the U.S. Overall, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that economic projections point to a need for approximately one million more STEM professionals than the U.S. will produce at the current rate by 2025.

In response, business thought leaders are advising employers to rethink their approach to recruiting and developing talent. The recommendation is to use what’s known as a skills-based approach to building the future workforce. In simple terms, this means expanding criteria beyond degrees and job titles to focus more on skills a candidate possesses or can be taught, according to McKinsey & Co., the global management consulting firm.

A November 2022 article published on www.McKinsey.com1 explains that skills-based hiring practices do more than expand the talent pool for employers. They also can diversify the workforce with greater opportunities for women and people of color. But the article stresses that the key to making this approach successful is to support employee development with a systematic education plan that includes things like online training modules.

STLE is well-positioned to support companies that want to apply this advice to their own talent development efforts. Resources for both online and in-person training are available.

The cornerstone for digital learning is the STLE Learning Management System (LMS), a platform that hosts a variety of unique STLE-specific educational resources. The learning catalog includes more than 100 resources that are available and trackable through the LMS. Check out the LMS at www.pathlms.com/stle.

Two other online resources also can be used to build an individual’s technical skills and knowledge. The TLT Archives presents more than 13 years of content that originally appeared in STLE’s monthly magazine. This represents more than 1,000 technical articles and research reports—all available to members at no charge. View the TLT Archives at www.stle.org/TLTArchives.

The second online tool is the STLE Learning Pathways, which provides a roadmap to the knowledge needed by people working in areas such as lubricant sales or oil analysis. This body of knowledge includes extensive peer-reviewed reference materials filtered by relevant key subject areas and then further divided into competency levels for better use as a self-study or reference guide. Visit the STLE Learning Pathways at www.stle.org/LearningPathways.

The STLE Annual Meeting is the primary venue for in-person education opportunities. The 2023 STLE Annual Meeting & Exhibition at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, Calif., features 11 industry-specific education courses offered on Sunday, May 21, Wednesday, May 24, and Thursday, May 25. New courses being offered this year deal with biolubricants and biofuels and basics and applications for synthetic lubricants.

STLE Local Sections also provide education opportunities throughout the year. For example, the STLE Chicago Section education event on March 15-16 will devote one day to the basics of lubrication and a second day on the basics of metalworking fluids. Details are available at www.chicagostle.org/index.php/events/education-program.

STLE’s value proposition is built on enabling members to connect, learn and achieve. In 2023, the learning portion is something employers can utilize to achieve greater business success with the help of a trusted technical education partner.

REFERENCE
1. McKinsey & Co. (November 2022), “Taking a skills-based approach to building the future workforce.” Available here.
 
 You can reach Certified Association Executive Ed Salek at esalek@stle.org.