With New Module, Workers Can Be Certified in Green Manufacturing
Oct. 18, 2011
'Front-line production workers' who obtain green certification 'will be a powerful force in helping manufacturers to gain a competitive advantage in achieving their sustainability goals.'
The Manufacturing Skills Standards Council has launched a new credentialing module to help train and assess manufacturing workers on industry-defined national standards related to green production.
Under the Green Production Module, workers and students will be able to earn an industry-recognized, nationally portable MSSC Green Production certificate.
The module was designed to include all manufacturers, not just companies producing green goods such as wind turbines and solar panels, the council said.
For this reason, the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council defines "green production" as workplace activities across all manufacturing sectors that "require the use of equipment, technologies and processes that will improve the environmental performance of manufacturing companies."
"In developing GPM, we quickly discovered that 'green production' skills will be integral to all manufacturers interested in improving their sustainability performance," said council CEO Leo Reddy.
"Front-line production workers who are GPM-certified will be a powerful force in helping manufacturers to gain a competitive advantage in achieving their sustainability goals."
The council developed the Green Production Module using a stimulus grant administered to the Communications Workers of America/IUE.
The Manufacturing Skills Standards Council describes itself as "an industry-led curriculum, assessment and certification system focused on the core skills and knowledge needed by the nation's front-line production and material handling workers."
"The nationwide MSSC system, based upon industry-defined and federally endorsed national standards, offers both entry-level and incumbent workers the opportunity to demonstrate that they have acquired the skills increasingly needed in the technology-intensive jobs of the 21st century," the council explained in a news release.
