156 people achieve job mastery at Custom Glass Solutions

Custom Glass Solutions recently conducted its first ceremony to deliver certificates of job mastery and task mastery to its employees completing their job-based, structured, on-the-job training program, a press release from the company said. In total, 156 employees received certificate portfolios at its Fostoria and Upper Sandusky facilities. While its traditional on-the-job training program served its purpose, CGS realized it would need to build a more comprehensive training infrastructure to accelerate the transfer of worker expertise to meet the needs of its growing business, according to the release. The innovative, standardized approach makes it possible for the company to document the training progress more accurately, provide metrics to measure and improve outcomes and engage the workforce more fully by providing credentialing opportunities to its production workers, the release said. Once certified, lead trainers document that an employee has mastery of 50 percent of the job classification's tasks, they are recognized for their achievement and are again recognized when they master all the tasks the job classification requires. A certificate and portfolio detailing the skills demonstrated is prepared and signed jointly by Proactive Technologies, Inc., which provides technical support for the project; Tri-Rivers Career Center, adult education, RAMTEC; and the CGS human resource director and operations director. Nearly 320 of the 470 employees at the two Custom Glass Solutions facilities are enrolled in the training and cross training. In attendance at the first ceremony were representatives of the Greater Ohio Workforce Board, Inc., OhioMeansJobs of Seneca and Wyandot counties and other workforce-development agencies and educational institutions that have supported Custom Glass Solutions' program since it began in 2020: LuAnne Cooke, the lieutenant governor's regional representative for northwest Ohio; Carol Kern of OhioMeansJobs Seneca County; Kathy Oliver, Seneca County Department of Job and Family Services director; Greg Moon of Wyandot County Economic Development; Diana Jacoby of OhioMeansJobs Wyandot County; John Trott, Greater Ohio Workforce Board executive director; Rocky Rockhold, Greater Ohio Workforce Board program director; Kyle McColly, mayor of Upper Sandusky; Jeff Long, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services project manager; Tonia Saunders, assistant director of Employment Services for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services; Richard George, Tri-Rivers Career Center adult education director, RAMTEC; Dean Prigelmeier, president of Proactive Technologies, Inc.; and Frank Gibson, Independent Workforce Development consultant. "We frequently do not see this type of concrete progress with projects we support," said Tonia Saunders, assistant director of employment services for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. "I attribute that to the strong leadership at Custom Glass Solutions and to the hard work and commitment of their employees. "I expect we are just seeing the beginning of greater things to come from this project and all involved." Deana Powelke, director of human resources for Custom Glass Solutions, expressed her enthusiasm for the new training program. "This is a uniquely win-win training model that puts our employees more fully in the driver's seat on the roadmap to success in their career at CGS," she said. "It was a significant investment and effort and I'm proud that our dedicated workers are now able to receive a credential documenting their cumulative skills for the increasingly complex jobs they perform." Powelke also praised the support the project has received. "We could not have done this without the help of many people and support from the local and state workforce development agencies," she said. Kern, business resources consultant for OhioMeansJobs Seneca County, was singled out by Powelke for her assistance in navigating the often-complex network of local, regional and state agency workforce programs. "I am pleased with the project outcomes to date," Powelke said. "I and the staff of OhioMeansJobs Wyandot County and the Greater Ohio Workforce Board are excited to support this project and wish Custom Glass Solutions and its employees continued success." Neale Yeomans, corporate executive officer of Custom Glass Solutions, praised the first group of certificate recipients for their hard work and commitment to self-improvement. "When I heard of this initiative to enhance the company's worker-training program, I was immediately on board," he said. "Having participated in apprenticeship programs myself, I see this as an excellent way to build the workforce we need while providing credentialing opportunities to our employees." As part of its ongoing expansion, Custom Glass Solutions recognized the need to Incorporate standard work procedures, quality standards and best practices into its training strategy in preparation for quality requirements for process-based training and recordkeeping. Furthermore, Custom Glass Solutions plans to broaden the structured on-the-job training programs into registered apprenticeships and structured internships – providing even more credentialling opportunities to its employees and future employees. Custom Glass Solutions, LLC., based in Worthington, is a major manufacturer of advanced-technology glass systems for commercial, agricultural, marine, recreational, public transportation and military vehicles. The Upper Sandusky manufacturing plant measures 360,000 square feet in size, while the Fostoria plant is 163,000 square feet and the Trumbauersville, Pennsylvania facility is 100,000 square feet. For more information on Custom Glass Solutions and hiring opportunities, visit website https://www.customglasssolutions.com.