Manufacturers continue to tell us the same thing: finding qualified people is hard.
But building a skilled workforce isn’t always about hiring someone new. Sometimes, it’s about giving the people you already have the right training, at the right time, in a format that works for your operation.
That’s why AJAC developed FAST Certificate Courses.
FAST, or Focused Applied Skills Training, gives employers a flexible way to quickly build specific technical, people, and operational skills. Courses are condensed, hands-on, and designed with one thing in mind: helping employees learn something they can apply at work right away.
Training Designed With Purpose
FAST courses aren’t simply shortened versions of traditional classes.
AJAC instructors build each course around the skills employees actually need on the job. That means connecting classroom concepts to what workers see and do every day on the shop floor.
For AJAC instructor Lai Thach, that connection is especially important.
As a former AJAC apprentice, Lai remembers how challenging it could be to connect concepts like GD&T and blueprint reading to what was happening on the shop floor. Now, as an instructor, he focuses on making those connections clear and practical.
That’s particularly valuable in a condensed training format. Employees can learn a concept, understand how it applies to their work, and put it into practice quickly.
Technical Skills. People Skills. One Flexible Solution.
FAST Certificate Courses go beyond technical training.
AJAC offers technical courses such as:
- CPR and First Aid
- OSHA-10
- Forklift Operations
- GD&T
- Technical Drawings
AJAC has also partnered with HarborBridge and Strategic Business Solutions (SBS) to expand FAST into the people and operational skills manufacturers need to build strong teams.
That includes training in areas such as mentorship essentials, project management, frontline leadership, and more.
Because technical expertise is only part of the equation.
Strong manufacturing organizations also need effective leaders, adaptable teams, succession planning, and employees who know how to work together and solve problems.
As SBS’s Paola Taylor puts it, people and cultural issues aren’t simply HR issues. They’re business issues that can directly affect retention, adaptability, and the bottom line.
Built for Employers
One of the biggest advantages of FAST is flexibility.
Traditional training models don’t always fit the realities of a manufacturing operation. Employers can’t always afford to have employees away from the production floor for extended periods, and not every employee needs a full apprenticeship or long-term training program.
FAST provides another option.
Employers can train multiple employees at once while minimizing time away from production. And because the courses are focused on specific skills, employees can take what they learn and put it to work immediately.
The result is training that’s designed around the way manufacturers actually operate.
Ready to build skills at your company?
Explore AJAC’s FAST Certificate Courses and find the training that fits your workforce.
