Business View Magazine | April 2020

140 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE APRIL 2020 TRSA certificate programs for production, maintenance, safety, and route management. More job candidates are learning that when they are hired, their skills will be assessed to place them in positions they are best equipped to handle. This builds their confidence that they can advance. Employers benefit from placing new hires properly (increases productivity) while reducing on-boarding time and expense. New management hires whose skills are not a perfect match for a position, but they are fairly well qualified for, receive relevant, accessible training and onboarding content. More use of training videos is anticipated and TRSA is expanding its role as a hub of knowledge and information-sharing, cultivating a culture of learning and recognition amongst its members. TRSA will work with its volunteer leaders to develop short, role-playing videos for supervisors to facilitate interactive, plant- based training. These “micro learning” initiatives minimize time away from the production line and offer industry-specific training for supervisors and managers focusing on “soft skills” such as conflict resolution, coaching, and employee evaluation. All these efforts elevate the industry’s ability to recruit, assess, train and retain the best, more engaged talent. This vision emerged from the input of more than 200 individuals who participated in 2019 under the auspices of the TRSA Education Committee in benchmarking interviews, focus group discussions, and a survey. Also examined were organizations in other industries with effective education portfolios aimed to move “front-line/production” workers into supervisory and managerial positions. This revealed success by associations that leveraged partnerships for funding and content to emphasize the importance of elevating the industry and building out the candidate pipeline. TRSA’s Certified Professional Laundry Management (CPLM) credential identifies the necessary skills and knowledge through extensive job Automatic shuttle for linens moves dryer’s work without conven- tional push-carts, saving labor and improving safety (TRSA member Unitex, Newburgh, N.Y.)