Category: Workforce

We’re just two months away from MFG Day 2021! If you’re a manufacturer and you haven’t done so already, it’s time to start thinking about hosting an event.

Read more from the NAM.

“[Creators Wanted] is how we build a worker pipeline to support the economic rebound,” said The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board. The ringing endorsement comes after the newspaper previewed the campaign and mobile experience in Dallas, while the team makes final preparations for the September 2021 launch of the in-person tour.

Other highlights from the editorial:

• “With competition for employees at historic highs, one trade association is ramping up recruitment efforts to reach potential workers earlier and more creatively than ever. This is a smart approach that may be a harbinger of things to come ….”

• “The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) has created a campaign called ‘Creators Wanted’ that will visit schools and community gathering places around the country in coming months to attract future workers to that industry. Creators Wanted features a tractor-trailer-mounted escape room and “immersive experience” designed to hold kids’ attention while also overcoming stereotypes that keep students from choosing careers in manufacturing.”

• “[The Creators Wanted] impulse is well-conceived and perfectly timed.”

• “Creators Wanted is a clever approach that teens will enjoy. We encourage parents and guidance counselors to consider it. But the larger point here is about the pipeline of workers needed to ensure our economy can continue to grow. NAM has taken the initiative to improve that pipeline, putting them ahead of the competition for now. We hope to see others join that race soon.”

To read the full piece, click here.

 

The NAM and The Manufacturing Institute unveiled their Creators Wanted experience last week in Dallas, previewing it for the NAM’s Executive Committee as well as local business leaders, workforce development officials and the media. Visitors got an exclusive look at this “mobile manufacturing experience” that will soon embark on a tour around the country, showing Americans what modern manufacturing is all about.

Read more from the NAM.

When the industry’s largest workforce campaign, Creators Wanted, was gearing up for its national, in-person mobile tour last year, no one expected a global pandemic to stop it in its tracks. But now, through the creative use of virtual tours and programs, the campaign is well on its way toward reaching its goals. 

A recap: The Creators Wanted campaign is aiming to reduce the skills gap by 600,000 workers; increase by 25% the number of students enrolling in technical and vocational schools or reskilling programs; and double the positive perception of manufacturing careers. It set a target of reaching 15 million to 20 million students and emerging workers in a sustained way through its programming. But even though the in-person tour is still on hold, the virtual version is going full speed.

The latest: The Creators Wanted campaign has held five virtual events already this year, bringing the modern manufacturing story to the Gulf Coast region of Florida, South Carolina and Connecticut. It has another event coming up on May 13 with Rockwell Automation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

The numbers: “The Creators Wanted virtual events are averaging 4,392 total views per event,” said NAM Vice President of Brand Strategy Chrys Kefalas. “Our attendance average is 119%, meaning more people attend than register for our events. That number is far higher than the industry average of 35–45%. And on social media, we’re seeing videos average more than 130,000 views, while our posts reach almost 1 million per event.”

But there’s more: “With the launch of our ‘Making the Future’ episodes on what’s happening in modern manufacturing today, we’re delivering the type of on-demand stories that audiences today are seeking,” said Kefalas. “We’re meeting people where they are, which is especially important for correcting misperceptions of manufacturing and reaching people who don’t (yet) know they’d be perfect for it.” 

The premiere episode: In the early days of the pandemic, retailers and consumers faced a shortage of an indispensable material: toilet paper. How did it happen, and how did manufacturers fix it? “On a Roll: How Manufacturers Solved the Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020,” the first of the “Making the Future” episodes, lays out the story. You can watch it at the link.

This piece first appeared in the National Association of Manufacturers’ morning newsletter for manufacturing executives, Input, on May 7, 2021.

West Columbia, S.C. — In celebration of Women’s History Month, on March 24, 2021, Creators Wanted brought a message of opportunity and empowerment to South Carolina for the third event of the campaign’s virtual event series: “Creators Stories: Women Make Manufacturing.” Hosted by Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation, which makes, among other products, a significant portion of the nebulizer medicines used in the treatment of COVID-19 in the United States, leading women in manufacturing took center stage to share their insights about manufacturing careers.

The numbers: Manufacturers in the United States have 515,000 open jobs, according to Carolyn Lee, Executive Director of The Manufacturing Institute. In 2020, South Carolina had 21,818 open manufacturing jobs. While 47% of the U.S. labor force is made up of women, only about 29% of the manufacturing workforce is female, Lee reported during the virtual program broadcasted nationwide.” “Women represent [the] largest pool of untapped talent,” said Lee.

How Nephron Pharmaceuticals fits in? The company is a best-in-class example of a diverse workforce. “We’re 53% female in this workforce,” said Lou Kennedy, president, CEO and owner of Nephron Pharmaceuticals, with 42 countries represented among its employees. 

Spotlight on Kennedy: Among manufacturing executives, Kennedy has emerged as a leading voice and champion on building the future manufacturing workforce, but her path into manufacturing was anything but certain. While she’d been “fascinated by the manufacturing process … [her] whole life” (her father was in manufacturing of plastic and fiber), Kennedy went to school for journalism. It took an introduction to the manufacturing of respiratory medications, which her child was taking, to set her on a course to leading Nephron Pharmaceuticals. So in 2007, without a chemistry or engineering background, Kennedy jumped in, helping to propel unprecedented growth at the company. Her advice to other women: “Be bold and don’t be afraid to fail.” And, for those younger in their career journeys, Kennedy suggested a blended course of study, not “just stick[ing] to one core set of topics or subjects.”  

Why manufacturing? Two dynamic manufacturers, who’ve risen up the ranks in manufacturing enterprises, added their perspectives to the program on the draw of a modern manufacturing career. 

• Lindsay Leonard, Senior Director, National Strategy & Engagement, Government Operations, Boeing: “[Y]ou’re part of building the product. In our case, it’s airplanes. You’re part of building an ecosystem. You’re part of building people’s futures and manufacturing facilities are generational career choices that they’re around for much longer than my individual career. Pretty much everything I get to do, I see a tangible result. And that’s a pretty cool place to find yourself in your career …. [In] manufacturing the world is your oyster. It’s endless possibility and opportunity.”

• Katarina Fjording, Head of Volvo Car University & Sustainability Americas, Volvo Car USA: “[I]t’s safe, it’s well paid, and creating is very rewarding. And also [the] manufacturing industry is very broad. The career possibilities are endless both for generalists and specialists. And it’s also very interesting and it’s fun. If for whatever reason you would choose to want to go somewhere else, having a background in industry and manufacturing is highly coveted from other areas of business.”

Moms in manufacturing: AJ Jorgenson, MI Vice President of Strategic Program Engagement joined Meena Banasiak, Vice President of Quality and Corporate Social Responsibility at Phoenix Closures and Brooke Wynn, Senior Director of Sustainability at Smithfield Foods, Inc., to provide the insights of moms in manufacturing.

What next? “STEP, it’s our STEP Women’s Initiative and that stands for science, technology, engineering, and production,” said Lee. “And our STEP Women’s Initiative is going into our ninth year and it’s really the nation’s marquee program for women in manufacturing, and it’s dedicated to fostering a 21st century modern manufacturing workforce that gives women the recognition and the support they deserve.” Click here to learn more.

Watch “Creators Stories: Women Make Manufacturing”.

Panama City, Fla.–The Creators Wanted Tour made its first official stop on the virtual event series in Bay County, Fla., to recruit job seekers and broaden awareness of career opportunities in modern manufacturing. The event focused on the Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (or FAME). FAME, a program founded by Toyota in 2010, strengthened by the participation of manufacturing companies like Trane Technologies and supported by The Manufacturing Institute, offers a “learn and earn” pathway into the industry.

WMBB covered the event–and the kickoff of the recruitment drive of the Gulf Coast FAME Chapter. Click here to watch the full report.

 

The Creators Wanted Fund supports The Manufacturing Institute’s sustained workforce programs for veterans, women, underrepresented communities, emerging workers and youth. Central to the MI’s veterans pillar is Heroes MAKE America, which provides integrated certification and career-readiness training in partnership with local community colleges to prepare transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard, reservists and military spouses for rewarding careers in manufacturing.

 

Recently, Working Nation brought together Babs Chase, Vice President of Military and Veterans Programs, The Manufacturing Institute, and Carol Eggert, Senior Vice President, Military and Veterans, Comcast NBCUniversal, to talk Heroes MAKE America and on the role veterans play in the civilian workforce.

Watch the interview.

 

 

Every year, shop floors across the country open their doors to students, parents, teachers and community leaders to showcase modern manufacturing careers through MFG Day. Carolyn Lee is the Executive Director of The Manufacturing Institute, the workforce and education partner of the National Association of Manufacturers. Here she shares what MFG Day is, why it is so important to the future of the industry and how manufacturers can drive attendance to their MFG events.

What is MFG Day?

MFG Day is an initiative to raise awareness for the many opportunities in modern manufacturing. On MFG Day, manufacturers open their doors to open minds about well-paying, rewarding and productive careers that give the next generation the chance to create the future using tomorrow’s technologies today.

When does it take place?

MFG Day begins on the first Friday of October but events extend throughout the month. Last year there were more than 3,000 MFG Day events hosted in 49 states as well as in Canada and Mexico. More than 325,000 students participated in MFG Day events.

What happens at MFG Day events?

Participants get a chance to see what is really taking place on many shop floors. This isn’t your grandparents’ manufacturing industry. Artificial intelligence, 3D printing, and co-bots—robots that work alongside humans—are commonplace on shop floors. And augmented reality and virtual reality are now just reality for many modern manufacturers. All of this and more is available to those who attend an on-site or virtual MFG Day event.

Why is MFG Day especially important this year?

This is a critical moment for the manufacturing industry. The U.S. economy as a whole is facing an unprecedented challenge in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Manufacturing is no exception, but the industry’s leadership in our nation’s response is showing the public how critical manufacturing is to our country. Manufacturers, the men and women who make things in America, are the ones making the test kits, personal protective equipment and daily items American need right now during this crisis. They are developing medicines and vaccines and the equipment needed to test and study treatments. Throughout our nation’s response effort—and during MFG Day in particular—we hope that more young people will see how creators respond when our country needs them most and choose to join in this effort by pursuing a career in modern manufacturing.

Do you have any advice for manufacturers who want to inspire more people to join the workforce?

Host a MFG Day event, and register it on CreatorsWanted.org, the new digital home for MFG Day, so people in your area can find it and attend! MFG Day is your opportunity to stand up and be counted, showcasing the reality of careers in our industry. Our country’s future is tied to the continued success of the manufacturing industry, and manufacturing’s success will be determined, as it always has, by its next generation of leaders. Join us in this critical effort to strengthen our industry into the future.