The future of companies relies on the ability to attract and retain a competent workforce. That will only happen if we as an industry become proactive in controlling our future. That will only happen if we take charge; no one else is going to do it for us.

The future of companies relies on the ability to attract and retain a competent workforce. That will only happen if we as an industry become proactive in controlling our future. That will only happen if we take charge; no one else is going to do it for us.

The time is ripe now more than any time in my past to effect the needed change. I see an increasing awareness and willingness on the part of educators, particularly in community colleges, to develop programs which are responsive to the needs of businesses in the areas they serve. They need you to tell them what those needs are.

Take the time to read this page from a local community college in my home area: http://www.lccc.edu/clwd. This openness and desire to be relevant is not unique to this particular school.

Many programs are being organized at state levels to more effectively partner with the industry . I am involved in a state level initiative in New Jersey to improve both the quantity and relevance of their students for the industry. 

We must be objective regarding what we offer as direction to these schools. Our industry has changed. Our methods have changed, our machines have changed and we by necessity must change how we think about training. The skills we need in the workforce are different than what was needed 30 years ago and that means the training we do today must reflect those changes. If your idea of suitable training is to replicate what you might have had 30 years ago, you have already lost the battle.

The public perception of manufacturing is possibly a larger hurdle we have to overcome. We need to attract solid candidates and to do that we need to sell ourselves, and we need to begin that process at the high school level. Community colleges may be a help in facilitating and organizing career days to invite students, guidance counselors and parents into our plants to see firsthand what our industry can offer as a future for these young students.

We need to convince the high school guidance counselors that manufacturing is an attractive alternative and make certain that manufacturing opportunities are equally presented in their career counseling sessions.

I have focused primarily on our future workforce, but do not ignore your current workforce; including yourself and your management team. Take advantage of continuing education opportunities both at the local community college level and industry training centers. 

Industry training options allow you to select candidates from your current workforce who you believe are worth the investment of improving their skills. Training offered by the machinery suppliers either in their own training facilities or done on-site offer the most effective machine specific training available to most of us.

Most supervisory personnel have either grown or defaulted into their positions, neither method assures they have the requisite skills. Take advantage of opportunities at your local community college to develop their skills in modern manufacturing principles as well — and why not go along and do some team building. 

You control the future value of your workforce; are you willing to step out of the box and assure your own success?  I will leave you with this pleasant thought: Much of this training is eligible for various grants and tax incentives — but you have to take the initiative!