Jun 20, 2010 By John Cofchin 2 min read

Can anyone in Fayette County pass a course in Problem Solving 101? The problem: A local employer wants to hire 50 employees with a skill set that includes a working knowledge of fluid power used in their manufacturing process. Please select from the choices below the option most likely to effectively respond to the employer’s needs.

A: Build a new building, hope that this new structure somehow translates into well-trained, competent students who are prepared to fill the available jobs.

B: Declare that we are unable to respond to every opportunity, due to a combination of bureaucratic gridlock and budgetary constraints.

C: Talk about it ad nauseam, hope that something happens and the public accepts a compromise that is both expensive and ineffective.

D: Create an educational module that demonstrates the fundamentals of pneumatic and hydraulic power. Utilize a competent teacher from within the school districts or hire a temp who communicates well. Upon successful completion, students will be certified as having a working knowledge of the principals of fluid power.

In my view, choices A,B and C are the unimaginative options provided by Fay-Penn, local school districts and the Herald-Standard.

Solution D makes the assumption that there are students interested in preparing themselves for employment. It is cost-effective due to the limited number of components needed to demonstrate the engineering principals involved so the capital expenditure is minimal.

The training module, once created, is reusable on an as-needed basis.

John Cofchin is a resident of Uniontown.