MAU’s Skill School: Elevating Workforce Readiness for John Deere

John Deere, a global leader in manufacturing precision equipment, needed to launch a new production shift while overcoming rising turnover and stringent skills demands on the plant floor. With high standards and a complex talent pipeline, finding candidates ready to hit the ground running was a daily challenge.

MAU’s Skill School program enabled John Deere to source, assess, and onboard job-ready associates, which delivered a 4% turnover rate and ensured production targets stayed on track.

Key Outcomes:

• Turnover rate brought down to 4%
• 95% of Skill School candidates passed technical entry assessments
• Higher workforce retention and manufacturing line stability

The Challenge

John Deere’s operations are built on reliability, safety, and productivity. Yet, the rollout of a new shift collided with workforce shortages, resource constraints for on-site training, and a sharp spike in turnover. Every new hire needed to clear the Valve Assembly Assessment, a hands-on, high-stakes test of precision, following SOPs, and mechanical skill.

Too many candidates arrived underprepared or lacking the foundational skill set John Deere demands. That made it hard to staff critical production lines with confidence.

The Solution: Skill School in Action

MAU addressed these challenges directly by launching Skill School in July 2018 at a dedicated branch facility. This turnkey assessment center offered a mini-version of John Deere’s skills evaluation, leveraging standardized testing and real-world scenarios from day one.

Skill School features:

• Technical prescreening with assessments tailored to John Deere’s requirements
• Identification and fast-tracking of candidates with hands-on experience, such as automotive service or mechanical repair backgrounds
• Emphasis on aptitude for process adherence, safety protocols, and efficient execution

By targeting candidates with practical experience rather than limiting the focus to prior manufacturing roles, Skill School expanded John Deere's talent pool. This approach streamlined selection, reduced unqualified interviews, and prioritized practical capability over resume keywords.

Results

Skill School delivered results that made an immediate impact on operations:

• 95% of Skill School participants passed the Valve Assembly Assessment
• 83% of successful candidates completed John Deere’s on-site training and moved into production roles
• Turnover was slashed to just 4%, supporting operational consistency and reducing retraining cycles

Added value included a safety pilot with wearable tech to reinforce movement tracking and best practices. In recognition of MAU's partnership and performance, John Deere presented them with the Diversity Supplier Award, a testament to the solution’s measurable impact.

Skill School transformed the way John Deere sourced and developed production talent. By mirroring the demands of the plant floor and broadening the talent pool to hands-on problem solvers and mechanically minded professionals, MAU helped John Deere sustain workforce excellence and productivity.