On Monday Dec. 8, Bison Gear & Engineering Chief Learning Officer Sylvia Wetzel spoke at the National Fluid Power Association's (NFPA) annual regional meeting at Harper College (Palatine, IL). The meeting, which focused around workforce development, was geared toward helping a company address the increasing challenge of finding and maintaining a skilled manufacturing workforce.

In addition to Wetzel, the meeting featured Dr. Maria H. Coons, vice president of Workforce and Strategic Alliances, who also spoke on the need for developing a maintainable skilled workforce.  

Wetzel has implemented the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) stackable credentials at Bison for all production personnel, improving productivity within the organization by 32%. She was also a leader on the state-wide STEM manufacturing program study in Illinois, and continues to lead the Skilled Workforce Initiative to create and implement solutions that can remedy the shortage of qualified entry level workers.