Preparing Safety Professionals for the 21st Century Manufacturing Environment: A Partnership that Works

The 21 century will bring new demands to the workplace, as we continue to see the development of a changing global economy. Moving into this new millennium, forward-thinking scholars, employers, professional associations, professional societies, and higher education accrediting bodies have realized the importance of interdependent collaboration to move toward excellence in higher education (Finn; Freeland, et al; Hall; Hutcheson; Itin). The purpose of this publication is to share the program improvement process developed through stakeholders’ involvement to bring about continuous improvement in the classroom, and in the workplace, necessary to meet ever-increasing demands for safety and efficiency in the 21 century manufacturing environment. In addition, it is hoped this article will heighten awareness of the important role that you, as a safety and health professional, an employer, or an educator, play in developing tomorrow’s safety professional in contributing toward maintaining our international competitiveness.