12 Considerations That Will Assist in Fixing the Skilled Manufacturing Worker Shortage

Adapting to the shortage of workers was hard and it is getting harder. In my time as a machine shop leader at a medical manufacturing company the shortage of workers was present for many years before I started to analyze the manufacturing industry. I started looking into the problem by reaching out to students at a career fair in 2016. Out of the 1,000 students that attended the career fair, we found about ten students that were engaged in manufacturing. That one percent of students that were engaged all told us that they had a relative that worked in manufacturing, so they wanted to do the same. It was at that point that I opened my eyes to some of the issues that the industry faces.

After that situation, I went on and worked a variety of jobs in manufacturing in a very short period. Almost every facility had the same issues, all but one shop that is. That one shop had been doing a few of the items on the list below and they had enough employees to operate efficiently, unlike the others. That shop is where I realized that we must Communicate, Collaborate, and Connect and do it on a Consistent basis. I call that the 4 C’s of manufacturing.

The list below represents what I have discovered by observing the industry in a five-year period. They are all great things that could be achievable throughout the industry if we want them to be.

• Create a Platform in Schools for Manufacturing

  • There are many great STEM programs in schools but there is a lack of manufacturing understanding. By creating a proper platform in schools for manufacturing it will increase awareness of the industry.

• Evaluate the Structure of Shop Tours

  • The students may have never seen a manufacturing facility before so they may need clarification, understanding, and follow-up when they have shop tours. This may mean that we should consider a follow-up day in the classroom to review what the students saw in the shop tour.

• Collaborate Locally

  • Encourage the industry to communicate, collaborate, and connect and do it on a consistent basis

  • Different ways to do this are: contact youth apprentice program leadership, apprenticeship program leadership, local school leadership, local schoolteachers, local career and technical education (CTE) teachers, local businesses and local competitors also, trade association local chapters, technical college leadership, technical college instructors, city, county, and state leadership, local economic development platform leadership, local STEM program leadership.

• Employee Training is Needed

  • Frequently offer training for employees for their success. 

• Make Career Skills Information Available

  • Make soft skills and hard skills information available on a 24/7 platform, like a website

• Review Wages for an Increase

  • By reviewing and possibly increasing wages for skilled manufacturing jobs, it will assist in retaining the workforce and it will attract new talent to the industry.

• Build a Great Company Culture

  • By building a great culture within the company it will help attract new talent to the company. Perks like profit sharing, lunches, and tuition reimbursement can help build a great culture.

• Continuous Improvement

  • Focus on continuous improvements to become a highly effective shop. Lean principles that remove waste will lead to a more effective operation and the employees will be more efficient. This may free up resources for more training programs within the company also.

• Find the Right Shop to Work In

  • It is important to find a manufacturing facility that is the right place for you to work in. Not every shop is for everyone, so I encourage you to ask many questions when you interview for jobs.

• Create Video Campaigns

  • Create a “What is Made in Our State” video production campaign for attracting people to the industry. This will aid in informing people about manufacturing opportunities.

  • Create video campaigns on manufacturing facilities to showcase what is done and how it is done at the company.

• Get Involved in Technology Programs or STEM Programs

  • By getting involved within the community we can start to close the gap as people will be more aware of technology through various STEM programs.

• Invest in Greater Technology for the Manufacturing Facility

  • By innovating and automating shops can move forward.