for Cross Border Workforce
Development
”Dr. Federico Zaragoza, Vice Chancellor for Economic and Workforce Development
Carol Fimmen Steven Lewis, Director, Service, Trade, & Director, International Programs Industry/ESK/Sections
Jennifer Sisane, Training and Development Jose Luna, Coordinator of Technical Programs
Workers Along the Texas/Mexico NAFTA Corridor - Partners
U.S. Higher Education Institutions
• Alamo Colleges
• El Paso Community College
• Laredo Community College
• Texas State Technical College
Mexican Higher Education Institutions
• Universidad Tecnológica de Coahuila- Saltillo
• Universidad Tecnológica de Juárez
• Universidad Tecnológica de Matamoros
• Universidad Tecnológica De Nuevo Laredo
• Universidad Tecnológica de Tamaulipas Norte
Workers - Background
• Loss of market share to China in manufacturing and related industries
• Loss of more than 500 maquiladoras plants in Mexico since 2000
• Largest impact of permanent job loss was concentrated in the lowest-skill, lowest-wage sectors
• Mexican maquiladora industry relies on increasing productivity by means of more sophisticated production processes and manufacturing technology enhancements
• Without adequate training, many of the existing maquiladora workers will not have the skills to meet the standards required to remain
Workers - Goals and Objectives
Goal: To increase the productivity and competitiveness of Mexico’s maquiladora industry through an integrated program of workforce training and capacity building in technical higher education
Objectives:
1. Developing training program on advanced manufacturing electronic technology systems;
2. Providing master’s level training in workforce development management and educational leadership;
3. Strengthening curriculum and faculty development at the Mexican technological universities;
4. Strengthening linkages with secondary education institutions to better align curriculum and teaching between high schools, technological universities and the productive sector so that students are better prepared to enter technical fields of study.
Workers - Challenges
• U.S. State Department travel warning to locations in Mexico (along the
northern border) has resulted in all training courses taught online or by video conferencing
• Difficult to transmit courses to 6 Mexican partners simultaneously due to varying levels of technological capacity
Workers - Outcomes to Date
• Developed master’s degree in management with Wayland Baptist University with an emphasis in workforce development
• Eight faculty members from Mexican partners began English as a Second Language using online technology
• Eight faculty members from Mexican partners completed first
concentrated course in San Antonio and are currently enrolled in a set of online courses.
• The use of the latest distance learning technology using Blackboard will allow them to complete courses in Mexico before returning to the U.S. for final course work followed by in internship.
Workers - Outcomes to Date
• Alamo Colleges offered a video conference training course on Lean
Manufacturing for managers of the Mexican border maquiladoras – 50 participants
• Texas State Technical College offered the following online training courses: - Introduction to Pneumatics (40 hours) – 43 participants
- Fundamentals of CNC (40 hours) – 45 participants
- Introduction to Hydraulics (40 hours) – 45 participants
• Second set of training courses for maquiladora workers and managers will - be discussed in detail by Steven Lewis and Jose Luna
Workers - Technology in the master’s degree
English as a Second Language
• One half of the course was taught online using a system designed for English instruction
• Areas covered were reading, writing and comprehension skills
• Interaction with the instructor using email and other online communication
• Regular one-to-one communication using online technology between student and instructor to assess skill development
Workers - Technology in the project
• Simultaneous transmission to 6 Mexican partners and /or 3 US partners simultaneously was an initial problem due to varying levels of technological capacity.
• Nefsis Web and Video Conferencing will be the solution: - users launch their web browser and click on a link
- almost any webcam or pc-based video conferencing equipment cab be used
Workers - Technology in the training courses
Prior to offering the course:
Faculty and technical support at U.S. institution and institution spend two weeks going over the course requirements and how it will be taught online. Testing of technology is completed.
During the course:
The Mexican faculty member and tech support are present to help facilitate the online process.
Workers - Technology in project administration
Partnership Activities
• Discussions held using video conferencing
• Communication using Skype
Workers - Technology in project administration
Initial proposal had
• face-to-face training courses in Mexico
• online or video conference courses
• hybrid of the two
Workers - Technology in project administration
Workforce Training- The capacity building concept
In the workforce component we developed capacity through:
Manufacturing courses offered on site in Mexico
English courses offered to employees of manufacturers
Workers - Technology in project administration
Workforce Training- Needs analysis
Our strategies for aligning our course offerings with workforce needs included:
Face to face meetings with technical universities and industry representatives
A conference in which we matched course offerings with training requirements
Regular communication with technical universities and the maquiladoras they serve
Workers - Technology in project administration
Workforce Training- Selection of instructors
Special considerations in instructor selection:
Industrial course instructors had experience in Latin American manufacturing
Spanish language instruction required native speakers or very fluent speakers
English instructors had to make the language relevant to workforce needs
All instructors required orientation on live distance learning technology
Workers - Technology in project administration
Workforce Training- Instructional technology
Technology required in order to conduct live distance learning:
Reliable Internet connection at both ends
A teleconferencing platform incorporating teaching tools Most instructors used a projector and screen
Computers with capacity to show PowerPoint presentations and video A good quality external video camera and microphone
Workers - Technology in project administration
Questions and Answers
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Contact: Carol Fimmen [email protected]
