In January of 2008, I received funding from the International Experience Grant to spend two weeks at Oxford University conducting research for my honors thesis, entitled “A Comparative Analysis of Skills and Production in the U.S. and U.K Manufacturing Sector”. The International Experience Grant afforded me the opportunity to travel across England, conducting site-visits and interviewing leading academics in the field. My work in England has given my honors thesis depth and perspective, and has allowed me to apply what I have learnt in the classroom to both business and academics settings.

Oxford University proved the ideal hub for my research. It was during the academic year spent studying there that I was inspired to look into the dramatic losses in the manufacturing sector of the U.S. and U.K. The professors who initially helped me develop my thesis proved extremely helpful in establishing interviews with other academics, firms, and government agencies. Combined with assistance from my thesis advisor, Professor Rosemary Batt, I was able to schedule eight interviews during my two weeks in England.

Perhaps the most notable of my interviews came from a site visit to Corus, a large steel manufacturer located in Scunthorpe. While there, I was able to conduct interviews with the HR coordinator for apprentices for Corus, the regional learning organizer for a dominant union at Corus, and the manager of the on-site Trade Union Resource for Training, Learning and Education (TURTLE) Centre. Given each individual’s vested interest in the skills and productivity of Corus employees, it was interesting to hear the unique perspectives they brought to the conversation.

What I was able to draw from the interviews was that the constant communication between management and labor in regards to training design and implementation helps Corus develop workers that can manufacture some of the finest steel products in the world. The levels of quality and innovation achieved at Corus are some of many factors that allow the company to remain globally competitive despite the influx of steel producers in low-wage countries.

I also had the opportunity to interview the director of the Southeast region of the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), the director of the Centre of Employment Relations Innovation and Change (CERIC), and the director of the Nottingham Institute for Manufacturing Research Centre (NIMRC). Like at Corus, these individuals believe that increasing plant efficiency and upgrading the skills of employees can contribute to the overall competitiveness of manufacturing firms in the U.K.
In the coming weeks, I will be traveling to Chicago and Detroit to examine the initiatives currently undertaken by U.S. steel manufacturers in order to remain globally competitive. I hope to draw on the interviews of academics, firms, and advisory programs in the U.S. and U.K., in order to distinguish those initiatives that have proved successful, as opposed to those failing to achieve their objectives. From this, I hope to distill the initiatives essential to making U.S. and U.K. manufacturing viable in the global arena.

The funding offered by the International Experience Grant has allowed me to travel across England and gain insight from individuals I would otherwise have never encountered. In addition to providing fresh and interesting perspectives for my honors thesis, the experience has given me the opportunity to apply my studies at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations directly to real-world scenarios.

- Michael Bolos