There are a predicted 2 million manufacturing jobs that will go unfilled over the next decade. Nearly 75 percent of skilled Baby Boomers who work in manufacturing will have left the workforce by 2030, putting pressure on companies to recruit new highly skilled workers.
Manufacturers looking to hire the next generation of leaders face two main challenges:
Skills-Gap: STEM (scientific, technical, engineering, mathematics) skills are increasingly necessary for today’s advanced manufacturing jobs.
Image Problem: American manufacturing has outdated associations with demanding physical labor, harsh factory conditions and low wages.
Both of these issues can be resolved, so let's take a look at how to do that:
The Skills-Gap
Manufacturing is becoming increasingly global and complex. Supply chain management, for example, requires multidisciplinary skills in addition to core procurement expertise. While typical shop-floor execution requires specializations ranging from engineering to mechatronics or robotics, R&D, design, and other highly technical areas.To close the skills gap, you can start working with schools in your community to change the conversation about manufacturing and ensure the proper STEM-focused curriculum is being offered:
- Make sure students have access to coursework that will prepare them for manufacturing careers.
- Talk to teachers and students to help them understand how technical skills are applied in manufacturing settings.
- Offer apprenticeship programs for students to get hands-on experience with manufacturing.
The Image Problem
Although the factory-work paradigm of the cog-in-machine, faceless worker doesn't dominate the perception of today's manufacturers, this outdated imagery still affects the way people perceive manufacturing. A recent Manufacturing Institute Study found that only one in three parents would encourage their children to peruse manufacturing careers. Similarly, the Fabricators and Manufacturers Associate (FMA) found 61% of teenagers surveyed would prefer to pursue a "professional career" as opposed to a career in manufacturing.
This is troubling because today's factories are hubs of innovation, requiring deep levels of problem solving and continual innovation. Recruiting the highly-skilled and creative workers needed in increasingly complex manufacturing environments is more of a challenge than ever considering the combined skill-gap and image problem.
So how can you combat the negative associations with manufacturing? It starts with building a positive workplace culture. Based on a summary of the academic literature, as well as independent research, and article by Harvard Business School shows that the motivations for Why we work determines how well we work. Here are three foundational motives for developing the kind of workplace culture that goes hand in hand with innovation, higher employee satisfaction, and better employee performance:
|
|
It's an exciting time to be a manufacturer. We can make manufacturing an attractive career choice for the next generation by:
- Making sure students receive the proper technical education to prepare them for a career in manufacturing
- Building a culture at the factory level that encourages students to pursue manufacturing careers.
