Continuing education in the manufacturing industry helps workers stay relevant and competitive, and it improves operational efficiency.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2022, the number of U.S. employees in manufacturing reached its highest point in the last decade — and thousands more are needed as the push to migrate manufacturing operations stateside continues. The National Association of Manufacturers reports that attracting and retaining a quality workforce is a top business challenge of manufacturers, which makes employee training and education critical.
Implementing employee training and education programs help address worker shortages by encouraging and attracting the next generation of employees while also updating skills for those already in the field.
The importance of formal training
Most manufacturing employees learn on-the-job, usually through a combination of job-shadowing and informal lessons or coaching. This will always be important in getting new employees trained, but they are not adequate methods on their own.
When formal training is added to job-shadowing and informal coaching, the benefits are compounded. New employees would not have to “start from zero” when getting trained by a more tenured employee. They can get formal training on machine operation and safety protocols with an online training course, for example, and use their time with their mentor to ask questions and practice their skills.
Formal training also ensures there is consistency in what employees learn. Even experienced employees who are good at their job can pick up a bad habit or two. Having a formal training program ensures veteran employees get the refreshers they need, and that new employees learn everything they need to know, the right way.
Some of the important benefits also include:
1. Keeping up with technological advances: The industry is constantly evolving with new technologies and methodologies. Continuing education helps professionals stay updated on these advancements, ensuring they can implement the most effective and efficient practices.
2. Enhancing skill sets: Ongoing training and education allow professionals to develop and refine their skills. This improves their performance and opens pathways for advancement.
3. Improving operational efficiency: By staying informed about the latest reliability and maintainability strategies, professionals can identify and implement improvements that enhance operational efficiency. This reduces downtime, lowers maintenance costs, and increases overall productivity.
4. Adapting to industry changes: The manufacturing landscape is subject to regulatory changes and evolving industry standards. Continuing education ensures professionals are aware of these changes, maintaining compliance and a competitive edge.
5. Fostering innovation: Education encourages a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. By learning new techniques and approaches, professionals can contribute to developing more reliable and maintainable systems.
It is critical that the industry trains the existing workforce — and the upcoming generation of workers — on new machines and technologies. Industry associations are an authoritative source for formal training. AGMA, for example, offers a wide range of in-person and online courses for all levels of expertise and across a wide range of topics.
Passing the torch
Companies can bridge the gap between the older generation of workers and their newest employees by focusing on supporting employees at any stage in their careers through education and development opportunities. Prioritizing education is a surefire way to kickstart the younger generation’s careers or upskill existing employees for higher level tasks and succession.
Moving the industry forward
If we bring baseline training and education opportunities to younger workers, they can take that knowledge and spin it into something that will continue to drive the industry forward.
Reliability and maintainability
Reliability and maintainability are critical to ensure equipment and processes run smoothly and efficiently. High reliability minimizes downtime and maximizes productivity, while maintainability ensures equipment can be easily and quickly repaired. These factors lead to significant cost savings, increased production output, and enhanced customer satisfaction.
Financial impact
Consider the case of General Electric (GE), which implemented reliability-centered maintenance across its operations. This approach resulted in a 30 percent reduction in maintenance costs and a 20 percent increase in equipment reliability. Similarly, Boeing’s investment in predictive maintenance technologies led to a 15 percent reduction in maintenance costs and a 25 percent increase in aircraft availability. These examples underscore the tangible benefits of prioritizing R&M through continuous education.
Addressing worker demand
Manufacturing organizations must prioritize upskilling their current workforce to compensate for the rapid changes and demand for workers within the industry. According to Meridian Knowledge Solutions, training material that addresses the technical aspects of the occupation, such as programming and being able to operate machinery and data analytics, will increase employee retention and confidence within the role. Additionally, upskilling employees is an avenue that can lead to cost savings and more efficient and productive employees.
Certifications for skill tracking
Another critical component of upskilling employees is the ability to record all training completed. Certifications are a tangible way for organizations to see what coursework effectively affects the workforce, the time taken to completion, and what valuable skills they are gaining. Certifications could also give manufacturing companies insight into what skills they should prioritize, and which ones may be lacking.
The benefits of a manufacturing training program
When success is measured by productivity, there’s an impulse to avoid anything that interrupts the flow of work. There are many benefits to offering a formal training program for manufacturing jobs. Ignoring proper manufacturing training, or doing it in an informal and haphazard way, is actually more expensive in the long run.
Competence
The costs associated with a lack of competence are noticeable pretty quickly. Employees who do not learn correct procedures and protocols will struggle to reach their full potential, and that will chip away at the bottom line. An example provided by HIS Training Solutions demonstrates that an employee making $50,000 might be only 50 percent effective after eight to 12 weeks on the job, costing the business roughly $25,000 due to lost productivity.
Consider the financial impact of a product recall due to a manufacturing error that might have been prevented by proper training. Lost sales, replacement and exchange costs, lawsuits, reputation damage, and government fines can cost companies billions of dollars.
Make the investment in training for manufacturing
Organized, structured learning is much more than just a good financial investment. It is an investment in the safety, well-being, and personal development of your employees.
Continuing education in reliability and maintainability is beneficial and essential for success in the manufacturing industry. By staying informed and skilled, professionals can significantly improve efficiency, cost savings, and customer satisfaction.
To maximize your workforce, explore the comprehensive training programs offered by AGMA. Go to AGMA Education at www.agma.org/events-education/upcoming-courses/ or download the e2025 Education Brochure at www.agma.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-Education-Brochure-online-FINAL.pdf.
Upcoming courses
Steels for Gear Applications
February 11-13 | Live Online
Gain a basic understanding of steel and its properties. Learn to make use of steel properties in an application and understand the potential that different steel and heat treatment options can offer. Explore how performance of the material depends on how the steel is produced.
Gearbox CSI
February 25-27 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A good understanding of individual failure modes and the failure scenarios that led to the actual system failure is an essential skill to designing gear/bearing systems that will operate properly for their full design life. In this course, we will define and explain the nature of many gear and bearing failures and we will also discuss and describe various actual failure scenarios. In addition, a detailed primer on bearing technology prefaces the failure scenario discussions. You will gain a better understanding of various types of gears and bearings. Learn about the limitation and capabilities of rolling element bearings and the gears that they support. Grasp an understanding of how to properly apply the best gear-bearing combination to any gearbox from simple to complex.
A Practical Approach to Managing Gear Noise
March 4 | Live Online
This course combines light theory with a healthy dose of practical testing and simulation techniques used to manage gear noise. Topics focus on insights into the mechanisms for both whine and rattle, the two most common categories of gear “noise.” The course presents clear explanations relating subjective evaluations of audible noise to objective actions, including troubleshooting and countermeasures, based on the instructors’ direct experience in industry.
Epicyclic Gear Systems Design
March 18-27 | Live Online
Learn and define the concept of epicyclic gearing, including some basic history and the differences among simple planetary gear systems, compound planetary gear systems, and star drive gear systems.
Cover concepts on the arrangement of the individual components including the carrier, sun, planet, ring, and star gears and the rigid requirements for the system to perform properly. Critical factors such as load sharing among the planet or star gears, sequential loading, equal planet/star spacing, relations among the numbers of teeth on each element, and calculation of the maximum and optimum number of planet/star gears for a specific system will be covered.
Basic Training for Gear Manufacturing
April 7-11 | Chicago, Illinois
Learn the fundamentals of gear manufacturing in this hands-on course. Gain an understanding of gearing and nomenclature, principles of inspection, gear-manufacturing methods, and hobbing and shaping. Using manual machines, develop a deeper breadth of perspective and understanding of the process and physics of making a gear as well as the ability to apply this knowledge in working with CNC equipment commonly in use.
To register for a course, go to: www.agma.org/events-education/upcoming-courses.
Upcoming meetings
2025 AGMA/ABMA Annual Meeting
April 24-26 | Austin, Texas
Join gear and bearing professionals from companies all over the world as the industry gathers to learn from experts in economics, trade, workforce development, political forecasts, and AI in manufacturing.
There are overarching issues affecting the whole industry, including the workforce shortage, the skills gap, and technology and AI adoption. With executives representing companies of all sizes and industry thought leaders, the depth and breadth of knowledge and viewpoints at the Annual Meeting is a goldmine.
For more information, go to: www.agma.org/event/2025-agma-abma-annual-meeting.
Calendar of events
February 25 — Metallurgy and Material Committee — Virtual
February 25-27 — Gearbox CSI — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
February 26 — High Speed Committee — Teams
February 28 — 936-Axx Working Group — Virtual
February 28 — 948-Axx EV Working Group — Virtual
March 4 — A Practical Approach to Managing Gear Noise — Live Online Course
March 4 — Bevel Gearing Committee — Teams
March 11 — 949-Axx Gearbox Repair Committee — Teams
March 12 — 908-Cxx Working Group — Virtual
March 17 — ISO TC 60 WG 12 — Teams
March 19 — ISO TC 60 WG 12 — Teams
March 18-27 — Epicyclic Gear Systems Design — Live Online Course
March 25 — Gear Applications Committee — Teams
