National Skills Summit

Behlen Mfg. Co. and Central Community College-Platte Campus: Behlen Basic Skills for Employee Retention Program

The Challenge:

To create a pool of newly-trained welders and increase the retention of existing welders in order to meet Behlen Mfg. Co.'s urgent need for skilled workers.

The Solution:

Offer new employees education, on-the-job training, leadership, and profit-sharing opportunities.

The Partners:

Behlen Mfg. Co. is an employee-owned company in Columbus, Nebraska that produces agricultural and industrial products for customers worldwide. Behlen invests in its own workforce through the Basic Skills for Employee Retention (BSER) program.

Central Community College-Platte Campus provides facilities and educational staff for Behlen's BSER program.

The Story:

Guillermo Casillas was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico. He immigrated to the United States with his wife and daughter, and worked as a machinist in California before moving to Nebraska. Guillermo enrolled in the Behlen welder-training program, where he learned trade skills and obtained his welder's certification. He has been working as a welder for Behlen since 1997, and thanks to the Basic Skills for Employee Retention program, he has constantly pursued further education and training. Guillermo took advantage of Behlen's math, English, and GED preparation classes, and recently passed all five sections of the GED test. He enrolled in the 16-class, 50-hour Team Leader Certification program, and upon completion immediately applied for a team leader position. Guillermo is now a team leader with plans to attend college towards a degree in accounting.

In Columbus, Nebraska, a town of about 20,000 with an unemployment rate of only 2 percent, Behlen Mfg. Co. must compete with several other manufacturing firms for skilled employees like Guillermo. With such a tight available labor pool, Behlen found it difficult to attract and keep the workers it needed. Retention was low, and new workers did not catch on quickly to the job. In response, Behlen teamed with Platte Campus of Central Community College to beef up its training by creating the Basic Skills for Employee Retention (BSER) program. Since BSER's inception in early 1997, approximately 139 employees have received more than 3,245 hours of training. The Basic Skills for Employee Retention program offers English learning programs and GED preparation, as well as training in welding, forklift operation, team leadership, safety, and other work-related skills at the Behlen on-site training center. Behlen has received funding through the Nebraska Workforce Development program in the form of matching grants.

A Model of Innovation:

Behlen has mastered the art of retaining workers through a combination of training, incentives, and job advancement opportunities within the firm. Behlen now offers its employees profit-sharing opportunities based on tenure and achievement. A recent reorganization effort arranged workers into teams that are awarded extra pay for high performance, productivity, safety, and attendance. These incentives have slowed turnover and attracted new, loyal employees to the company.

Contacts:

Duane Matson
Training Coordinator
Behlen Mfg. Co.
P.O. Box 569
Columbus, Nebraska 68602
402-563-7417 (p)
402-563-7355 (f)
duane.matson@behlenmfg.com

Gary Senff
Central Community College - Platte Campus
4500 63rd Street
P.O. Box 1027
Columbus, Nebraska 68602
402-564-7132 (p)
402-562-1201 (f)