Missouri Company Gears Up for Expansion with ACT’s Work Readiness System

Before an India-based company invested $20 million in a new facility in Washington, Missouri, it needed assurance that workers could successfully perform the jobs.

A worker at CG Power Systems in Washington, Missouri, operates equipment involved in the manufacture of transformers.

“We needed to know that current employees and new hires had the skills required to build highly technical quality products,” said Mary Shofner, human resources manager, CG Power Systems USA Inc. “We needed to be able to stay ahead of our competition.”

CG Power Systems USA Inc is a subsidiary of Crompton Greaves Ltd. (CG), headquartered in Mumbai, India. As one of the world’s leading engineering corporations, CG provides end-to-end solutions, helping its customers use electrical power effectively and increase industrial productivity with sustainability.

CG was established in 1937 in India and, since then, has retained its leadership position in the management and application of electrical energy. Its unique and diverse portfolio of turnkey solutions includes transformers, switchgear, circuit breakers, network protection and control gear, project engineering, motors, drives, lighting, fans, pumps, and consumer appliances. CG operates manufacturing plants and subsidiary companies on three continents.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon presents an Innovative Industry Training Award to Marc Schillebeeckx, president, CG Power Systems USA-Americas Region. The company was recognized for its use of a credentialing system for plant expansion hiring. From left are Brandy Brown and Bruno Verelst of CG Power Systems, Gov. Nixon, Schillebeeckx, Mary Shofner of CG Power Systems, Bryan Herrick of Jefferson College, and Debby Breeden of East Central College.

At its plant in Washington, approximately 50 miles west of St. Louis, workers have assembled three-phase distribution pad-mounted transformers for more than 25 years. These devices are designed for outdoor installation on a concrete pad and provide underground power distribution to commercial, industrial, and institutional loads.

The expansion called for the manufacture of highly technical small-power and medium-power transformers, which require more sophisticated engineering and complex skills to produce than the pad-mounted transformers. These components are part of outdoor power substations.

Shofner was faced with the challenge of hiring up to 150 highly skilled employees over a three-year period for the new plant. With the help of Bryan Herrick, director of business and community development at nearby Jefferson College, she persuaded union and company leaders to use ACT’s Work Readiness System. Herrick met with managers, union leaders, and employees to explain how the system works.

“There was mutual agreement that it was the best way to strengthen the company’s internal workforce and set standards for hiring external candidates,” said Herrick.

The system includes job profiling, WorkKeys^® assessments, and the National Career Readiness Certificate. Employees from CG Power Systems worked with Herrick, who is an ACT-authorized job profiler, to create profiles for 17 union positions. The profiles describe the skills and WorkKeys score levels required for each of them.

Debby Breeden, program coordinator for customized training at the East Central College Center for Workforce Development and the lead point of contact for this project, assisted CG Power Systems with providing training materials, proctoring on-site testing, and managing the WorkKeys assessment and certificate process for the company.

Employees can access training materials at a learning center on-site, at the Missouri Career Center in Washington, or at home via Internet access. They use the materials to prepare for the assessments. Those who achieve qualifying scores receive a National Career Readiness Certificate at one of four levels: bronze, silver, gold, or platinum.

CG Power Systems tested employees with WorkKeys assessments in preparation for a plant expansion that called for the creation of highly technical transformers, such as the one shown here.

The ACT Work Readiness System is helping the company reach its goals. To date, it has hired 59 union workers for the new plant. Nearly 80 percent of them achieved a gold level National Career Readiness Certificate. The turnover rate—those who earn a certificate but are unsuccessful performing the work—is less than three percent.

“Company management initially had concerns about the cost to implement the system. But now that we’ve hired some of the people we need for the expansion, the system has sold itself. The results far outweigh the costs,” said Brandy Brown, training and employment specialist, CG Power Systems.

Given the success of the system at its Washington plant, the company is discussing implementation of profiling, testing, and certification at its other facilities.

“Implementing the National Career Readiness Certificate is probably the most significant thing we’ve ever done for our workforce. It will strengthen our company and our people,” said Marc Schillebeeckx, president, CG Power Systems-Americas Region.