Recruiting people to work in manufacturing, skilled and unskilled, remains one of the industry's biggest problems. Manufacturing is far from alone as most employment sectors face skills gaps in the coming years, but with so many older industrial workers retiring every year, the problem is becoming acute.
The Manufacturing Institute, the educational group supported by the National Association of Manufacturers, launched MFG Day more than a decade ago to combat this problem. On the first Friday in October, manufacturers throw open their doors and invite college, high school and even middle school students to take a look and imagine a future in manufacturing.
In advance of that day, IndustryWeek gathered a panel to discuss how various indutries are approaching the recruiting challenge and how big of a task faces them. As part of our bi-weekly Production Pulse video series, please enjoy hearing from:
- Jen White, director of student engagement at The Manufacturing Institute, who spoke about the history of MFG Day and what businesses are doing this year
- Traci Purdum, editor-in-chief of Chemical Processing, who discussed on ongoing series of stories her staff is writing about preparing the workforce for the future in the process industries
- Andrea Corona, senior editor at Pharma Manufacturing, who discussed how high-tech producers are facing challenges
- Geert De Lombaerde, editor-at-large for IndustryWeek parent company Endeavor Business Media, who discussed the Perceptions of the Trades research study that shows parents and young people more interested in skilled trades, but not as much in manufacturing skilled trades
- Rehana Begg, editor-in-chief of Machine Design, who discussed how equipment producers are rethinking controls and machine interfaces to make their easier to use and more familiar to younger workers (touchscreens replacing dials, for example)
