Whom to Contact

Barbara Darby
Manager, Workforce Development
(864) 239-2939 ext. 4
bdarby@socplas.org

A skilled, knowledgeable and flexible workforce is the key to competitiveness in the global economy. SPI offers a variety of programs and services to assist plastics companies with workforce needs.

Latest SPI Workforce News | Recruitment, Training, Certification Solutions | Careers in Plastics | Scholarships and Training Support | Workforce Resources

Latest SPI Workforce News

Plastics Learning Network News Releases

Training Solutions

Plastics Learning Network... Are your employees ready for the future? A well-trained workforce is essential to survive in today’s increasingly competitive global market. SPI’s Plastics Learning Network (PLN) can give you the edge over your competitors. To learn more, visit click here.

Safety Training. For personal, insurance and legal reasons, safety training is critical to the plastics industry. The SPI Workplace Health & Safety issues program works closely with the federal and state environmental protection agencies, OSHA and others to make safety training available to the plastics industry. For further information, contact Susan Howe, SPI Senior Technical Director, Worker and Product Safety, at (202) 974-5223; e-mail showe@socplas.org.

National Institute of Metalworking Standards (NIMS)... You can’t make quality plastics products without quality molds and the plastics moldmaking industry is facing chronic shortages of skilled moldmakers. To address this issue, SPI is working with NIMS to develop and promote the training of moldmakers. For more information, contact Jennifer Jones, Assistant Director of the SPI Moldmakers Division, at (202) 974-5231.

Certification Solutions

National Certification in Plastics... Do your workers have the skills needed to ensure maximum safety, quality and productivity? SPI’s National Certification in Plastics (NCP™) program, a national, voluntary certification examination, tests plastics operations employees’ skills and knowledge. Developed in response to the industry’s need for defined and measurable standards for plastics operations employees, the NCP™ exam tests the knowledge and skill level of plastics operations employees in one of the four major plastics processes – injection molding, extrusion, thermoforming or blow molding. The exam is offered over the internet and at more than 300 testing centers throughout he U.S. and Canada.

NCP provides documentation of workers’ understanding of basic safety procedures, storage, handling, machine operations and other critical skill sets. The test is administered over the Internet or at more than 300 Prometric testing centers around the country. The NCP exam tests the knowledge and skill level of plastics operations employees in one of the four major plastics processes: injection molding, extrusion, thermoforming or blow molding. For more information, visit www.certifyme.org.

Schools and Colleges... For those who want a degree or continuing formal education in a plastics related field a number of schools and colleges around the country provide degrees and extensive training in plastics processing and plastics engineering. Click here for a list of some of these institutions.

America’s Service Locater... Employers and jobseekers can find the services they need at a convenient Career One-Stop Center. Just enter your zip code and select the desired service(s). Or dial 1-877-US-2JOBS for assistance.

Occupational Network (O*NET™)... The Occupational Information Network (O*NET™) is an easy-to-use, web-based database containing comprehensive information on job requirements and worker competencies for a number of industries, including plastics. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, O*NET™ provides employers of all sizes, in all fields access to critical information that impacts their bottom-line every day and is available in English and Spanish.

Click here for the English version.
Click here for the Spanish version.

To promote education in the plastics industry, SPI’s Molder and Moldmaker divisions offer financial assistance. The Molders Scholarship Foundation supports regional scholarships of up to $1,000 a year to individuals pursuing careers in the plastics molding industry. The Moldmakers Division provides support to institutions or organizations that provide specific training for plastics moldmaking. For further information, contact Walt Bishop, Executive Director of the SPI Molders and Moldmaker divisions, at (202) 974-5230; e-mail wbishop@socplas.org. Details also are available on the Web at www.plasticmolders.org/scholarship/index.htm for the molders scholarship and www.plasticmolds.org/foundation/educational.htm for training grants.

The Plastics Institute of America is a not-for-profit organization that provides a wide range of educational training programs, research grants and undergraduate scholarships for students preparing for careers in plastics, and seminars & short courses for industry professionals.

• U.S. Department of Labor



• State Labor Offices



• U.S. Department of Education



• State Education Resources Directory

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