The Penn Foster Blog

Today is the day! Each year, the National Association of Manufacturers hosted Manufacturing Day, a celebration of modern manufacturing intended to inspire the next generation of manufacturers. The celebration of Manufacturing Day extends well into October, with businesses and community organizations planning events, such as factory visits and learning sessions, throughout the month.

Mark Twain once famously said, "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."  American manufacturing certainly seems able to make that claim.

In today's competitive labor market, workforce training organizations face real challenges preparing their clients for careers in high-demand occupations. Job-seekers must not only have the skill to do a job, they also must possess a related industry-credential. For example, 11.5 of the 11.6 million jobs created since 2008 have gone to workers with some level of postsecondary education " this includes those who've taken postsecondary courses or completed a postsecondary diploma, certificate or degree program1.

Testing out different subject lines, layouts, copy, and images is key to your career college’s email marketing success, and today, the most popular testing method is an A/B test.

When most people hear the word "apprenticeship," they envision the model that Europe has used for hundreds of years " young adults choosing to make horseshoes on an anvil rather than enrolling in higher education " substituting on the job learning for formal education. This Game of Thrones-like image is a completely outdated view on apprenticeship that holds back its development. The modern, American incarnation of apprenticeship, which is experiencing a renaissance in a world of severe labor shortages in skilled trades, differs in three crucial ways from the stereotype.

The August jobs report paints a very mixed picture for the future of employment in the United States. While the overall rate of job growth slowed during this month, there are some industries which are bucking the trend. Here are three interesting developments that the August jobs report revealed.

Whether your goal is to convert inquiries into enrollments or to help progress students through your program, developing a nurture campaign will help lead them to convert and succeed. While it may not be your only channel for communicating with inquiries and current students, having a well run email nurture series can drastically improve your lead generation efforts, as well as your overall student experience. There isn't a one-size-fits-all solution to nurturing students on their academic journey, however there are a few key strategies that, when used together effectively, wield impressive results.

Even though the unemployment rate in the United States has steadily decreased in recent years, job openings are now more plentiful than ever - as was seen in the most recent Department of Labor jobs report. Companies large and small are struggling to find the skilled workers they need, which had led to a drop in hiring - particularly in middle skils careers. Employers need to take action to address this skills gap and get hiring rates on the upswing once more.

As one of the leading providers of staffing and workforce solutions in the nation, EmployBridge spans over 490 locations and has been named the largest industrial staffing firm in the U.S. With its product being "productive people," EmployBridge understands the need to embody its core values in daily actions, support its associates, and foster a sense of community. In line with these values, EmployBridge recently announced the launch of the Better WorkLife Academy in partnership with Penn Foster!

Your frontline supervisors have a significant impact on your employees, and your overall business operations. Working directly with the staff on a daily basis, a supervisor's influence can improve productivity and employee satisfaction or have a detrimental effect on these metrics. In many cases, employee turnover isn't related to issues with the company itself, but instead is a result of frustration with ineffective supervisors.