The AFS Institute recently completed a $1 million investment in metalcasting classroom-course and e-learning curriculum. Now AFS has hired a new Institute leader, Clarence Trowbridge, to optimize the delivery of education and training to the metalcasting community. Trowbridge joined AFS as vice president of education and workforce development on Aug. 20. The AFS Institute, formerly known as CMI, is the educational arm of AFS.
“The skills shortage is affecting metalcasters from coast to coast, making it harder to hire talent,” said Doug Kurkul, CEO of AFS. “That puts a premium on retaining existing employees and training them for success. Clarence Trowbridge is especially well-positioned to help foundries achieve their workforce-related goals at this time.”
Trowbridge brings 30 years of workforce development experience for companies including Inland Steel Company and BP. From 1996 to 2006, he built a successful education program for ESW Inc. In 2016, he published a book, Maintenance Workforce Solutions: An Organizational Development Approach.
Trowbridge, who also has experience working in a foundry, is a former sergeant in the U.S. Army, where he was an electronics repair technician. As a reservist, he was an instructor for the Army Non-Commissioned Officer Academy in Indiana. He has an MBA in organizational development and a bachelor’s degree in communications.
“I’m honored to be part of the continuing AFS traditions of advocacy, education and innovation,” Trowbridge said. “Speaking of innovation, we’ll be expanding the Institute’s services to a suite of customized training programs based on companies’ specific workforce needs. I look forward to meeting face to face with many foundry leaders in the months and years to come.”
The AFS Institute offers classroom instruction, e-Learning and in-plant training to metalcasters across all materials and processes. A calendar of classroom courses scheduled through spring 2019 can be found at www.afsinc.org/training-excellence-metalcasting, as can a list of 108 e-Learning modules available through the Institute. In-plant training can be scheduled by calling Bo Wallace at 800-537-4237, ext. 249.
The American Foundry Society is a dynamic technical and advocacy organization that serves and represents the $33 billion metalcasting industry. AFS is the only association serving the entire industry, including all metals and processes, with a three-part focus on advocacy, education, and innovation. AFS also publishes Modern Casting and Metal Casting Design & Purchasing magazines and presents Metalcasting Congress and CastExpo, the largest metalcasting trade events in North America. Founded in 1896, the organization is based in Schaumburg, Illinois, with an advocacy office in Washington, D.C. More information is available at afsinc.org.