Closing the Skills Gap
Training for glass fabrication personnel now available via MyGlassFAB
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in Window + Door’s sister publication, Glass Magazine. As more window and door fabricators move glass production in-house, the Window + Door audience also can find value in courses through MyGlassFab. Pictured above: Tristar Glass facility in Catoosa, Oklahoma.
The manufacturing industry is facing a skills gap. Industry growth is driving the need for more workers of every type—from entry-level production personnel to skilled workers to engineers, according to the 2024 Deloitte and Manufacturing Institute Talent Study. This is not news to the glass and fenestration industry, where the skills gap reveals itself as a lack of industry experience among new hires. Glass fabricators report this is true at all levels of employment, but particularly among entry-level production personnel, who often come onboard with little to no glass experience. To help close that gap, the National Glass Association has launched MyGlassFAB.
Addressing the skills gap
MyGlassFAB is designed for entry-level production personnel who are responsible for tasks like inspecting and measuring glass; loading and unloading glass; and rotating glass through the various phases of the tempering, laminating, cutting or shipping processes.
Available on the MyGlassClass.com online learning platform, MyGlassFAB allows new personnel to take training courses on their phones. The interactive courses range in length from five to 15 minutes, with the initial training focusing on safety, glass quality inspection, how to measure glass and basic math. Courses are available in English and Spanish, and as the course catalog grows, NGA will add training on tempering, laminating, decorative glass and insulating glass production.
Tristar Glass, which has three glass fabrication plants in the South-Central U.S. that span 390,000 square feet and employ more than 250 people, uses MyGlassFAB to onboard new employees. As part of their orientation process, new hires take MyGlassFAB courses on their phones, alongside an instructor.
MyGlassFAB also allows companies to monitor training compliance; supervisors can track employees’ training activity and test scores using the MyGlassClass.com Team Manager functionality. Companies can customize their Team Manager to monitor and conduct training for different lines, under different line leaders. While all employees may be required to take safety courses, for example, only a few may need glass measurement and math training. The Team Manager function allows companies to customize training for different employee groups, as well as run comprehensive reports on individuals or all employees.
The applicant gap
The manufacturing industry faces not just a skills gap, but an applicant gap. There is a shortage of potential candidates applying for positions, whether skilled or unskilled, according to the Deloitte/MI Talent Study.
The labor pool continues to challenge industry companies. Nearly half of respondents in Window + Door’s 2025 Industry Pulse survey indicated recruiting is their top labor challenge. Employee retention isn’t far behind. Several survey respondents noted quality training is an effective way to retain quality employees.
The Deloitte/MI study substantiates this. “Many companies are also leveraging e-learning platforms to facilitate flexible and self-paced learning opportunities,” the research group reports.
Learn More
To view the MyGlassFAB course catalog, visit myglassfab.com. To learn more about how to set up a company training program using the Team Manager functionality, email myglassclass@glass.org.
