Page 34 - CNC West Oct-Nov 2021

SVMA
SACRAMENTO VALLEY MANUFACTURING ALLIANCE
It isn’t always that you are picked up at the airport and chauffeured around all day for a CNC West Magazine interview. In fact, this was a first. Tim Schaefer has spent
a lifetime in the manufacturing business and was kind enough to put together a day of interviews and enlightenment. As a a metal working specialist for MSC Industrial, Tim is part of their advanced technical support team, but today he is also Director of Training for SVMA (Sacramento Valley Manufacturing Alliance) and a tour guide. Besides his vast knowledge of all things machining, Tim’s knowledge of the area and the history of its manufacturing is unparalleled. You will not find a more educational experience than spending the day going from shop to shop with Tim. Every SVMA member shared their passion for the industry, and the desire to build a better organization that will benefit all those in the valley for years to come. With nearly 50 allied members and growing the SVMA mentality truly is that a rising tide lifts all boats.
SVMA offers many standard membership benefits that you would find in similar organizations. Networking opportunities, shared database of vendors, volume purchasing agreements and so forth are all pretty standard, but what everyone we met with was most interested in was SVMA’s workforce development. SVMA has partnerships with the local high schools and colleges, but also have their own technical learning center on the campus of Charles A Jones Education Center. Equipped with manual and CNC mills and lathes the learning center is an intricate part of SVMA’s US Department of Labor accredited apprenticeship program.
SVMA’s apprenticeship program is not based on number of years in the trade or where you have worked, but solely on what you can do, a 100% competency-based program. There is a very specific and difficult written and verbal online assessment test used to determine a participant’s skill level. There are 8 different levels, with 8 being the most skilled. Upon completion of level 8 students earn a CNC credential. It isn’t a milling program or a turning program, level 8 graduates are familiar with both. After six months of employment at a member’s facility level 8 graduates will earn a set wage of $33 an hour.
Article by Sean Buur
SVMA’s apprenticeship program is not designed to replace trade schools or college programs, but rather to integrate with them for fast tracking people into the workplace. “Our program teaches the skillset that manufacturers are looking for,” tells Tim. “We build that into our curriculum and help educate the educators on what the industry needs. If we need a CNC programming course and a Community College has a spot, we place people into the class. If nothing is available, we get together as an organization and do a workshop with one of our experts.” SVMA’s apprenticeship program isn’t just designed for people with zero experience. It’s about teaching a baseline set of skills that someone already working in the industry might not possess. Garner Products for example sent two of their employees through the pilot program, InSight Manufacturing Services hired someone from the pre apprenticeship program and Ruxco Engineering Inc. is hopeful that the vetted SVMA graduates will reduce the need to teach basic skills as part of their onboarding process.
Inspired by manufacturing day October 1st, SVMA had a booth and provided expert speakers at the SME Manufacturing Expo 2021. “This was a great event,” tells SVMA President Kevin McGrew: 51 exhibitors and 375 attendees provided a broad cross section of our region’s manufacturers getting together in a responsible way (outdoors and masked in all info sessions) to commit to the proactive development of persons new to advanced manufacturing. Further, we had the opportunity to invite regional experts to present on topics like cyber security, better usage of virtual resources, a brand-new competency-based apprenticeship program, and the promotion of women in manufacturing. This year has been hard for all of us but with an event like this we can envision our path forward.”
SVMA is organized by and for Sacramento’s manufacturers. As the region’s manufacturers, they are committed to working with educators and industry partners to proactively develop vocational, educational and workforce initiatives and programs leading to fulfilling manufacturing career paths for the region’s students and workforce. To learn more or to be a part of SVMA find them online or flag down Tim when you see him.
SVMA’s technical learning center on the campus of Charles A Jones Education Center. Most of the machine tools were donated by allied members for student training.
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