Closing the Plastics Industry’s Knowledge Gap Starts With Knowing Where It Is.

The plastics industry has been talking about the skills gap for years. Finding qualified people is difficult. Experienced employees are retiring. New employees need to get up to speed. And companies are trying to develop the people they already have while keeping production moving.

But what if skills are only part of the challenge? There’s another gap that can be harder to see: the knowledge gap. It’s the difference between knowing what to do and understanding why you’re doing it.

That distinction is at the center of a new article in Plastics Business Magazine, “It’s Not Just a Skills Gap. It’s a Knowledge Gap.”

The article explores a challenge that reaches across the plastics industry: how companies can develop people who don’t simply know how to perform a task, but understand enough about the entire injection molding process to think critically when something doesn’t go according to plan.

From following the process to understanding it

Training someone on a process is important. They need to know what steps to take and how to perform their job safely and effectively. But injection molding doesn’t always cooperate. Materials behave differently. Processes change. Parts warp. Quality problems appear. Something that worked yesterday may not produce the same result today.

That’s when deeper knowledge matters.

Understanding the relationships between plastic materials, mold design, injection molding processing and part design gives people more context for what they’re seeing. Instead of simply knowing which adjustment to make, they can begin asking why the problem is happening in the first place.

That ability to think critically and work toward a root cause is something AIM emphasizes throughout its education and training. The goal isn’t simply knowing more. It’s being better prepared to use that knowledge when it matters.

You can’t close a knowledge gap until you know where it is

For employers, there’s another challenge. How do you know where the knowledge gaps actually exist within your workforce?

Sending everyone through the same education and training may not address the areas where people need the most development. Employees come from different backgrounds, have different levels of experience and bring different strengths to their roles.

That’s why AIM developed its Workforce Evaluations.

These evaluations helps companies identify knowledge gaps before developing an education and training plan around them. Employees complete individual evaluations, and AIM’s instructor team analyzes the results. From there, the team works with the company to create a customized workforce development plan based on what the evaluations uncover.

AIM currently offers Workforce Evaluations covering Design & Engineering, Molding and Moldflow. The goal is simple: understand where your people are today so you can make more informed decisions about where their development should go next.

Keeping the knowledge current

Of course, identifying a knowledge gap only matters if the education used to address it reflects what’s actually happening in the industry. AIM takes that responsibility seriously.

As part of its commitment to maintaining relevant educational programs, AIM works with an Advisory Board made up of industry professionals representing a range of roles and perspectives. The Board reviews program content, learning outcomes, methods of instruction and even individual test questions within members’ areas of expertise.

That review process helps AIM continue challenging its own material and keeping education aligned with the needs of the plastics industry. It’s a rigorous process, but that’s the point. If we’re asking students and employers to invest in education, the material needs to earn that investment.

Closing the gap starts with understanding it

The plastics industry’s workforce challenges won’t be solved simply by telling people to learn more. We first have to understand what they need to learn and why that knowledge matters to the work they do every day.

That’s the larger conversation behind “It’s Not Just a Skills Gap. It’s a Knowledge Gap.”

Read the full article in Plastics Business Magazine to learn more about the industry’s knowledge gap, why it matters and what organizations can do to develop a workforce that’s better equipped to think critically and solve problems.

Want to better understand where knowledge gaps may exist within your own team?

Learn more about AIM Workforce Evaluations.