MMA Solutions for Success: Praeco Skills

This article appeared in the February 2025 issue of MiMfg Magazine. Read the full issue and find past issues online.

Praeco Skills Founder Ryan Pohl uses a knot-tying exercise to teach a group of engineers about the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition, which identifies five levels of learning.

Attracting and retaining talent is an ongoing challenge in the industry, and Praeco Skills Founder Ryan Pohl and Talent Development Manager Steve Heethuis have dedicated the past 25 years of their careers seeking solutions.

Based on the insights they have gained as a result of these efforts, Pohl and Heethuis now share their experiences and solutions with manufacturers through an exclusive partnership between MMA and Praeco Skills.

“We’re not just trying to sell a service,” Pohl says. “We’re trying to solve a problem, and we look at every unique aspect as we do it. We take a big-picture approach that focuses on long-term sustainability. We don’t offer Band-Aid fixes to our clients. We are about helping our clients establish long-term business viability and a culture of learning.”

Praeco helps manufacturing businesses attract, train and retain workers in middle- to high-skilled manufacturing occupations via courses, training management and fractional talent management. MMA members can receive these solutions at a 10 percent discount, along with a free two-hour assessment valued at $500.

After participation in these programs, business leaders find that their teams are better problem- solvers, are more independent, have stronger communication skills and are more likely to bring innovative ideas to the table. Likewise, the business leaders who go through these programs gain additional emotional intelligence, counseling, time management, communication and “people development” skills.

One of Praeco Skills’ main teachings is based on the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition. Its basic premise is that there are five stages of learning: novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient and expert. In addition to outlining the hierarchy of learning, the model asserts that automated solutions, or robots, can only get to the “competent” stage because the final two stages require human thoughts, emotions, rationalization ability and independent learning.

“By the third stage, people will start to push boundaries to figure out what they can and can’t do. That’s where natural learning, human-based troubleshooting, intuition and innovation are developed,” Pohl says, adding that businesses that encourage such initiative are more likely to have satisfied employees who stay for the long term.

Overall, the Praeco Skills business model solves challenges for apprenticeship training and recruitment, as well as training efficiency via shortened training time.

“We will take training time that is long and unpredictable, shorten it and make it predictable,” Pohl says.

Through the Dreyfus principle, and many other human learning theories, Praeco Skills provides tools and strategies for solving the talent shortage at manufacturing businesses. Combining traditional methods with modern technology, Praeco’s customized training and talent retention solutions can help businesses excel while also stimulating and sustaining the industry in Michigan.

See Member Benefits learn how Praeco Skills services and exclusive savings can help your business or contact MMA’s Brenda Nalett at 517-487-8512 or nalett@mimfg.org.