Bridging the Awareness Gap: Workforce Development & Training

Communities throughout the U.S. have a renewed — if not new-found — appreciation for the U.S. manufacturing industry. A year of tariff-induced uncertainty along with the painful lessons learned from supply chain disruptions caused by the Covid pandemic have triggered an epiphany — people now better understand why our country needs a stronger manufacturing sector.

To nurture this epiphany, however, we in the industry need to take action. Striking now with a focused campaign of inspiration, education and action is what is needed in order to capitalize on this moment in history. We did this back in WWII when our country needed war supplies, but there was a shortage of labor. So the government called on women to join the workforce to help in factories supporting the war effort. Not only did the appeal work, it inspired a symbol of female empowerment known as “Rosie the Riveter” that remains a powerful icon today. Keep in mind, the government’s effort succeeded at a time when mass communication consisted mostly of radio, newspapers, posters and movie-house newsreels.

Today we have a plethora of media options at our fingertips that make it infinitely easier to reach a wide audience with the news that U.S. manufacturing offers lucrative and rewarding career opportunities that do not require a four-year college degree. That said, the general public’s awareness of manufacturing career opportunities remains low.

I have always said that if young people do not want to go into manufacturing for a career, that’s fine. But let’s make sure they get a chance to consider a manufacturing career. That’s not likely if they’re not even aware manufacturing careers exist.

Most Americans remain unaware of manufacturing careers and the importance, relevance and opportunities that exist within our industry. If we as an industry can increase that awareness among Americans, we should be able to increase the applicant pool for unfilled manufacturing jobs.

Unfortunately, the solution is not that simple. The awareness problem is not one-dimensional. The problem isn’t just that manufacturing careers are no longer on the American radar; it’s that parents who are aware of manufacturing careers often are holding onto antiquated ideas about what various manufacturing jobs entail.

This is not your grandfather’s manufacturing industry anymore. Technology leads the way with the word “advanced” usually preceding the word manufacturing as a descriptive connotation. The dark, dingy and dead-end descriptors have been replaced with words like bright, challenging and lucrative.

Teachers and guidance counselors are still getting up to speed with regard to today’s manufacturing career opportunities.

Another problem facing the industry is the idea that automation will eliminate the need for employees. So, the dead-end thinking goes, why go down a career path with no future.

We know Americans generally think automation means replacing workers. Meanwhile, those of us involved in the industry understand how automation guarantees a future by improving global competitiveness. Automation also necessitates a higher level of critical thinking skills for programming, trouble-shooting, installing and monitoring machine cells with automation.

Our political leaders (on both sides of the aisle) and media often minimize the importance of manufacturing related issues. Because of a general lack of understanding, or just ignorance, these issues are viewed as not newsworthy without the flash and or shock value breaking news seems to require.