The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary (JOLTS) released on Tuesday May 9, 2017, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that ProBility Media Corp. (OTCQB: PBYA) has got its ducks lined up in a row. The JOLTS proclaimed happy tidings: the number of manufacturing jobs added in March was the highest for any month since ‘the front end of the Great Recession in early 2008’, according to U.S. News (http://dtn.fm/ORz1Z). But this good news was bundled with some bad news. America is experiencing a skills gap: a mismatch between the skills employers require and the skills the workforce possesses. ProBility Media Corp., however, is aiming to narrow that gap. With its suite of technical training and testing solutions, the company is empowering America’s craftsmen and skilled workers once again.
The JOLTS report (http://dtn.fm/vM5mu) revealed that, in March, manufacturing industries added 322,000 to their payrolls. This brings to 922,000 the number of manufacturing hires for the first quarter of 2017, an 11 percent year-over-year increase on 2016. The report also showed that there were 394,000 job openings at the end of March, matching the record highest, attained in July 2016, since April 2006. Manufacturing output has expanded substantially since the doldrums of the financial crisis in 2009, with the St. Louis Fed’s index of real manufacturing output recording a rise of 29 percent. Contrary to widespread reports, manufacturing employment has also risen since the Great Depression, although less than output. FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) shows employment in the sector rising by 8 percent, from 11,475,000 in December 2009 to 12,396,000 in April 2017 (http://dtn.fm/3XnsM).
While the data provides some reassurance that American manufacturing is alive and well, it also reveals a disturbing trend of layoffs, which signals a skills gap. In March, some 105,000 manufacturing workers were laid off. Factories are hiring, but they’re firing, too.
However, ProBility is endeavoring to fill that skills gap. The company provides a range of education and training programs for a wide variety of vocational occupations such as craning, rigging, electrical, plumbing and HVAC.
ProBility is disrupting the technical vocations training and certification industry by creating the first full service training and career advancement brand in the technical fields. It has undertaken a major push into the crane training space and is now developing online training programs employing virtual reality technology. ProBility’s crane e-learning products include full crane operator’s courses that simulate the hands-on experience of a lab and physical school. In addition, its publishing division has been working to create full handbooks to accompany the online courses.
ProBility continues to expand its suite of e-learning, training and testing services, through both acquisitions and internal growth. The company is positioning itself as the go-to resource for individuals, small- and medium-size businesses, and large enterprise customers by offering consistent high-quality training services and materials for education, testing, and career advancement.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ProBilityMedia.com
Let us hear your thoughts: ProBility Media Corp. Message Board
