Towards ImprovementTowards Improvement

Idaho Timber Workforce Idaho Timber Workforce Development SummitDevelopment Summit

ByBy

Dr. John J. Garland, PEDr. John J. Garland, PE

Project LeaderProject Leader

Garland & AssociatesGarland & Associates

garlandp@peak.orggarlandp@peak.org

Towards Improvement Towards Improvement • Maintain knowledge in aging

workforce• Address stability issue –

forestry is a changing industry not a dying industry

• Set up structure to make improvements—Idaho Action Planning Committee

• Find permanent funding source

• Involve individual workers• Emphasize technology • High school counselors? • Consider paid summer camp • Review training

• Consider workers compensation offset

• Work with state labor economists

• Image and media (tv, radio, web) approaches

• Work design for a new generation

• Engage a task force to look at the issue of “season length”

• Consider more detailed interviews with young

• What are options for providing “benefits” (health insurance, retirement plan, etc.)

• Discussion of who are the “players” in workforce issues

Maintain knowledge in aging Maintain knowledge in aging workforceworkforce

Maintain knowledge in aging Maintain knowledge in aging workforceworkforce

• Job redesign to accommodate older workers• Use logging technologies to reduce workloads• Differential pay for older workers—different

working conditions in mills• Capture knowledge with mentoring programs• Specific training responsibility w/pay• Engage older workers for preferences, options,• Part-time, flex-time, job-share, ????

Address stability issueAddress stability issue

• Perception and negatives– Dying & declining, – Mills shut down, “going out of business”– Mature & sunset industry, – Old economy, “Survivor” mode– US doesn’t need to cut its trees

• Other industry sectors don’t get same treatment, eg High tech bubble, real estate, Chips & Change,

Address stability issueAddress stability issue

• Forestry sector is a changing sector—always has been change

• International, national and regional significance of Idaho forestry sector

• New emerging products of renewable resource—energy, fuel, local production/consumption, technologies

• Story has yet to be adequately told !

Set up structure to make Set up structure to make improvements—Idaho Action Planning improvements—Idaho Action Planning

CommitteeCommittee• No apparent organization for Idaho Workforce• Coalition is needed among subsectors for

common workforce• Consensus needed in Idaho’s efforts-speak with

one voice• Concentrate resources & seek support• Collaborate with others in PNW• Coordinate with national efforts• Communicate broadly inc. internationally• Governor’s commission for action, reporting, &

communication ???

Find permanent funding sourceFind permanent funding source

• Short & longer term sources– Industry grants, foundation grants, special funds,

lottery funds– State workforce development funds, including federal

programs– Idaho Forest Products Commission– Others?

• Pay for Services? Training, recruiting, etc.• Self assessments, tax policies, • Brutal news– We’re on our own in short term!

Find permanent funding sourceFind permanent funding sourceA compulsory assessment of cents per hourA compulsory assessment of cents per hour ? ?

Sample Size Logging Mill TruckingForestry Services

55 16 13 3 4

Strongly Oppose=1

10 1 2 1 2

Oppose=2 8 1 3 1 1

Neutral=3 18 2 3 1 1

Support=4 16 9 5 0 0

Strongly Support=5

3 3 0 0 0

Involve individual workersInvolve individual workers

• Seek worker participation

• Committed workers as communicators: FLOW project

• Trajectory of development for individuals, self investment concepts, better decisions,

• Concept of a career ladder and counseling in the firm

Involve individual workersInvolve individual workersTRAJECTORIES OF INDIVIDUALS

WORKER LIMITED BY….

TYPICAL WORKER IN DEV. COUNTRY

HIGH PERFORMANCE WORKER

A

B

C

supervisors providing employee career supervisors providing employee career

planning and guidanceplanning and guidance Sample Size Logging Mill

56 16 13

Strongly Oppose=1

2 0 1

Oppose=2 4 1 1

Neutral=3 11 4 2

Support=4 28 9 7

Strongly Support=5

11 2 2

Emphasize technologyEmphasize technology

GPS, GIS, PLC, CTI, MECHATRONICS

Pilot speaks out….Pilot speaks out….It’s often claimed that a

harvester operator makes more decisions per unit of time than an aircraft pilot.

“Definitely. A harvester and an airplane also have more similarities than you’d first think,” says pilot and former harvester operator Patrik Gustavsson (Valmet, Just Forest,

1-2007)

High school counselors?High school counselors?

• 15 best to start with the High School Guidance Counselors--consistent w/ numerical responses

• 5 responses indicating the need to get to kids earlier.

• 4 for Vocational education at high school and community college

• 2 would start with future foresters in Univ.• Simulators & bring equipment to schools

Career PathsCareer Paths

High school counselors?High school counselors?Sample

SizeLogging Mill Trucking

Forestry Services

57 16 13 3 4

Strongly Oppose=

11 0 0 0 1

Oppose=2

1 0 1 0 0

Neutral=3

3 2 0 0 0

Support=4

23 7 8 1 1

Strongly Support=

529 7 4 2 2

Establishing forestry sector Establishing forestry sector scholarships for worker training?scholarships for worker training?

Sample Size Logging Mill TruckingForestry Services

57 16 13 3 4

Strongly Oppose=1

2 1 0 0 1

Oppose=2 1 0 1 0 0

Neutral=3 9 1 3 1 0

Support=4 20 4 6 0 0

Strongly Support=5

25 10 3 2 3

Consider paid summer campConsider paid summer camp

Construction industry has had a Construction industry has had a program with some success. Forestry program with some success. Forestry camps in use but not for logging, mills, camps in use but not for logging, mills, trucking, or forestry servicestrucking, or forestry services

Review trainingReview training

• On the job training

• Shadowing/Mentoring

• Vo-Tech

• Classroom

• Computer based

• Can't scream at them; talk/explain way you would like to learn; screaming at them doesn't work

Review Training:Review Training:Establishing targeted vocation education programs in local community Establishing targeted vocation education programs in local community

colleges or institutions?colleges or institutions?

Sample Size

Logging Mill TruckingForestry Services

57 16 13 3 4

Strongly Oppose=1

2 1 0 0 1

Oppose=2 1 0 1 0 0

Neutral=3 2 0 1 0 0

Support=4 25 6 6 1 1

Strongly Support=5

27 9 5 2 2

Re-think TrainingRe-think Training

$0

$20,000

$40,000

$60,000

$80,000

$100,000

$120,000

Cumulative Gains

1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49 52 55 58 61 64 67 70 73 76

Weeks

Cumulative Training Gains in DollarsHarvestor Example

Cumulative difference curvewith value of production gain

Effect of Operator Training: Mechanized Operations

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Time in Weeks

Per

cen

t o

f A

ccep

tab

le W

eekl

y A

vera

ge

Designed Training

Trial and Error Learning

Consider workers Consider workers compensation offsetcompensation offsetWorkers in training not exposed to Workers in training not exposed to operating hazards would be operating hazards would be eligible for reduced WC rateseligible for reduced WC rates

Work with State Labor Work with State Labor Economists Economists

Develop relationship to support forestry Develop relationship to support forestry sector job understanding and sector job understanding and information for rural communitiesinformation for rural communities

Image and media approaches:Image and media approaches:Producing television ads Producing television ads

Sample Size Logging Mill Trucking Forestry Services

57 16 13 3 4

Strongly Oppose=

11 0 0 0 1

Oppose=2 5 0 1 0 0

Neutral=3 6 2 3 0 0

Support=4 19 5 4 2 0

Strongly Support=

526 9 5 1 3

Image and media approaches:Image and media approaches:Getting all the sawmills involved in a recruiting effortGetting all the sawmills involved in a recruiting effort

Sample Size Logging Mill TruckingForestry Services

56 16 13 3 4

Strongly Oppose=

15 2 1 0 1

Oppose=2

7 0 1 1 0

Neutral=3 7 1 3 0 0

Support=4

20 3 5 1 2

Strongly Support=

517 10 3 1 1

Work Design for a new generation:Work Design for a new generation:payment method that pays for qualifications of workerspayment method that pays for qualifications of workers

Sample Size Logging Mill

57 16 13

Strongly Oppose=1

1 3 1 0

Oppose=2 2 5 1 1

Neutral=3 3 9 3 3

Support=4 4 17 4 4

Strongly Support=5

5 23 7 5

Work Design for a new generationWork Design for a new generation

• Review jobs that are evolutionary and not balanced to workers

• Look at part-time, flex time, work release time, job-share, job rotation, pay for production, etc.

• Consider profit sharing, incentives, pay for competency, etc.

• Consider scheduling: monthly, weekly, & daily

Engage a task force to look at the Engage a task force to look at the issue of “season length”issue of “season length”

Sample Size Logging Mill Forestry Services

46 16 7 3

Strongly Oppose=1

1 0 0 1

Oppose=2 3 1 2 0

Neutral=3 7 0 1 0

Support=4 11 2 3 0

Strongly Support=5

24 13 1 2

Consider more detailed Consider more detailed interviews with younginterviews with young• Current employeesCurrent employees• Job leaversJob leavers• Potential employeesPotential employees• Competitors employeesCompetitors employees• StudentsStudents

Options for providing “benefits” (health Options for providing “benefits” (health insurance, retirement plan, etc.)insurance, retirement plan, etc.)

firms’ responsefirms’ responseSample Size Logging Mill Trucking

57 16 13 3

Strongly Oppose=1

1 0 0 0

Oppose=2 0 0 0 0

Neutral=3 3 1 0 0

Support=4 12 3 4 0

Strongly Support=5

41 12 9 3

Who are the players in workforce Who are the players in workforce issues: Idaho (examples)issues: Idaho (examples)

• The “Group:” ALC, IFA, IFPC• Idaho Department of Labor• Safety & Health Organizations (insurers, etc)• Vocational programs• High School counselors/teachers• Univ. of Idaho, Extension, N. Idaho College• Equipment industry, • Etc.

Who are the players in workforce Who are the players in workforce issues: Regionissues: Region

• Regional logging conferences: Intermountain, OR, Olympic, Redwood, Sierra

• OR Forest Resources Institute• Pacific Logging Congress• Industry associations: AOL, OLTPA, WA LC, CA

Commission, SFI Training Comm. etc• State Labor Depts & OSHA Depts• OSU, U. WA PNASH,

Who are the players in workforce Who are the players in workforce issues: National & Internationalissues: National & International

• A. Loggers Council, Forest Resources Assn., AF&PA, SFI, SAF?, NWLOA,

• NIOSH, Dept of Labor, Fed OSHA?, Extension, Equipment Manuf. Assn., COFE, US Endowment,

• Selected Univs.:GA, SC, AL,MN,LA,ME• Intl Contractor Assn., ILO, FAO, IUFRO,

Scandinavians, Chileans, Aus/NZ, Austrians, French, Great Britain, Irish,

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